Sorry for delay. I still have no internet after moving house. I have to use my mums to update. I have struggled to finish this chapter but finally have it done and the next and final chapter just requires some editing so I will update again as soon as I can get to my mothers to use her internet. I can answer emails in work so any questions or reviews are completely welcomed. As usual will try to reply to all reviews. Thanks again. Enjoy!

To anyone reading my other Harry Potter fic 'Muggle Wars' I haven't given up on it just having a bit of writers block but I am slowly working on it. Hopefully have an update on that one by next week.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Previously: After a meeting with the New Order Snape returned home only to argue with Hermione who stormed out of the home after harsh words were spoken between them both. When Snape came to his senses he chased after Hermione only to find evidence of a struggle...blood left in the snow because of whoever had taken her.

Chapter 37

Hermione had woke up in a cold stone cellar. It was dark in there and not to mention freezing cold and damp. She had walked around the whole basement over and over praying somewhere in the dark she would find a door or a window, a hole, anything but just a way for her to escape.

She had been searching for what seemed like hours and she had gotten nowhere. She had bumped into a few things that were around the room so had a body map of bruises because of it. She let herself rest for a moment, turning and leaning against the wall behind her. She had just let her tired eyes drift shut for a moment when the worst pain she had ever felt tore through her body. She couldn't help but cry out in agony as she wrapped her arms around her body.

It didn't take a genius to work out what the pain was about. "Oh no, baby not now." she begged. "Not here, please!"

She knew all the begging in the world wouldn't help her now, her baby was on its way and after having been caught by Bellatrix Lestrange and two Death Eaters she knew she would be having it here in the cellar she had woke to find herself in if someone didn't come to save her first.

She suddenly wished she hadn't been so vile towards Snape because maybe then he would care enough about her to notice something was wrong. She decided to try using their bond again, "Please help me!" she thought, at the same time saying the words out loud. "Come save us, please, Severus!"

~0~0~0~0~

Snape had called an emergency meeting with the New Order. They were all more than worried about Hermione. Snape was angry and frustrated because he could not locate Hermione using their bond. He couldn't understand why but could only presume that some sort of magic block was the reason and a bloody strong one at that. He didn't want to think what the alternate reason could be.

"Where would Bellatrix have taken her?" Harry asked as he paced the room frantically.

"We don't even know if that crazy bitch was the one who took her!" Ron argued.

"Of course it was her!" Snape barked at him.

"Then where would she take her?" Harry yelled.

"If I knew that I would have gone straight to Hermione and not come here to argue with pathetic little boys like you two."

"GIT!" Ron yelled as he lunged at Snape with his wand ready to throw a jinx.

It was Lupin and Arthur Weasley who stopped him and pulled him back away.

"Stop fighting!" McGonagall yelled,"It's going to do Hermione no good if we stay here fighting among ourselves and don't get out there and try to find her."

"Where do we start?" Tonks asked trying to help McGonagall recall order.

"Malfoy Manor? Would they take her there?" Molly Weasley asked.

"No, it's too obvious." Snape said, "They'll take her somewhere none of us have been."

"Does Bellatrix own a house, I mean if she took her then she could have taken her to her house?"

Snape suddenly thought of somewhere. "Bellatrix and Narcissa were left a house by their mother."

"Do you know where it is?" Harry asked.

"Not really." he replied sadly.

~0~0~0~0~

Hermione doubled over and cried out in pain as another contraction tore through her body. She was in agony and her contractions were coming quick and fast but her waters still had yet to break which she was seeing as a good sign. At least she hoped it was a good thing. She hoped there wasn't something wrong with the baby which is why it hadn't broke.

She had thought she had read up all she could about pregnancy and delivery but everything seemed to have gone out of her head. She was in too much pain and too stressed out to remember a damn thing.

She hated that help had still not come for her. It only made her think no one was coming to help her at all. She couldn't decide whether Snape was ignoring her or just couldn't hear her. She had been too frightened to think that perhaps when she had been attacked he had been found and attacked too. She may have been angry as hell with him still but she hated to think he was hurt...or worse.

~0~0~0~0~

Most members of the New Order were working hard trying to work out where the house Bellatrix and Narcissa owned was located. Snape, having needed some space, was stood by a window in a room all alone. He was staring out of it at the snow that was falling heavily. He couldn't stop thinking about Hermione and the baby. He could only pray they were okay but he had once prayed that Lily Potter would be okay and he had been the one to find her dead, his prayers having gone unanswered.

A part of him had been destroyed that night, a part he thought would never come back to him, but being with Hermione had come to make him think otherwise. She made him feel like someone other than the foul git everyone thought he was, that he himself thought he was at times.

"You shouldn't feel so guilty." someone said from behind him. "This isn't your fault."

He didn't need to turn round to face them to know it was Harry. "Why is that?" he asked, trying not to hold the usual venom in his voice that he had whenever he spoke to Harry.

"Because we all promised to take care of Hermione and the baby but then we left you to be her sole guardian, you couldn't be expected to watch over her every minute of every day."

"As usual Potter you have it wrong." Snape replied, however his voice was soft, there was not bitterness in it like usual, just sadness and guilt.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"We argued. She stormed out of the cottage and she was taken whilst I stayed there, before I chased after her. Now because of my foolishness, she and our baby are in a world of danger and we still don't know where they are. And if we don't work out where they are soon then it will be too late."

"We're getting closer to finding her."

"Deja-vue." Snape said.

"I beg your pardon?"

Snape turned to look at Harry and said, "Many years ago, I argued with the only woman I had ever loved, the only friend I had even known. I turned my back on her and we drifted apart. By the time I went to find her years later, to apologize, to protect her and tell her I truly loved her...it was too late. She lay dead on your nursery floor and you sat in your crib...grieving for the mother you would never get to know."

"Again, not your fault." Harry told him.

"For months now I have been having dreams that the exact same thing happens to Hermione and I walk in to find her dead on our child's nursery floor, with our baby, a daughter, crying in her crib. It kills me each time to see it." Snape confessed.

"It won't happen. I may never call you a friend but believe it or not I do like you and I like the idea of you and Hermione because I know you will fight to protect her."

Snape looked at him and possibly for the first time ever smiled at him. "Thanks Potter."

Harry returned the smile before they both turned to look at the doorway as Ron appeared there, "We think we've found it!" he told them.

~0~0~0~0~

Hermione had been sat in the cellar trying to work through her contractions when two Death Eaters had suddenly appeared. She had been roughly dragged from the cellar and through the house she had realised she was being held in. From the cellar it had felt more like she was being held in the ruins of an old castle it was so dark, damp and cold. She didn't recognise the house. For a moment she had figured she had been taken back to Malfoy Manor and kept in a part she hadn't seen before but she quickly came to realise that this was not Malfoy Manor.

She couldn't help but notice how dark this house was, how it had an eerie feeling to it. Hermione sensed that nothing good happened in this house. This was a house where dark magic took place and as the Death Eaters pulled her through a set of main doors into a main hall she suddenly realised who it belonged too. Looking down from a huge painted portrait above a huge black marble mantel was Bellatrix Lestrange, looking possibly the most groomed Hermione had ever seen her, but her usual crazy look still lingered in her dark eyes, beside her in the picture was her sister Narcissa. It was then she presumed this house belonged to them or their family perhaps. It didn't shock her that Bellatrix would offer it up to Voldemort.

"Finally the Mudblood has joined us." Hermione heard a familiar voice say.

She looked to the side to see Voldemort standing in the corner of the room. Hermione quickly noted how weak he looked, a shell of the strong creature he had once been. He looked smaller and hunched, his eyes sunken and his skin much more pale than usual. Hermione could see why he was in hiding because in this form he would never be able to beat Harry in a battle.

Hermione looked around the room and saw all three members of the Malfoy family standing around. She saw dozens of Death Eaters and a group of snatchers, and of course there was Bellatrix there too.

"I see that although I do not look myself you are, as they say, glowing." Voldemort hissed as he moved closer to Hermione.

She glared at him as he simply studied her for a moment before he turned his back on her. The moment he did Hermione felt a contraction begin. It forced her to gasp slightly but she was able to hide it and somehow the pain from her face. She couldn't let anyone see how close she was to giving birth or that she was in labour at all.

Little did she notice that one person did see and she knew immediately what was happening to Hermione.

"You are almost at the end of your pregnancy." Voldemort said as he walked away from Hermione, distracting her from her painful contraction.

"Baby's not due for weeks yet." she lied a little breathlessly as Voldemort came to a stop in front of the huge roaring fire.

"I do not have weeks." Voldemort hissed. "If you do not deliver the child within the next two days I will have it cut it from you." Voldemort said as he turned to face her again.

"No!" Hermione screamed as she lunged at him.

One of the Death Eaters who had brought Hermione to the hall suddenly kicked her legs from beneath her, before she had chance to fall flat on her face the other Death Eater grabbed Hermione's hair and pulled her to her feet, before she realised she was even standing she was hit hard across the face by the first Death Eater, not just once but twice before the Death Eater holding onto her shoved her into the one who had just hit her so he could take a turn to hold her whilst the other took a turn to hit her .

"Enough!" Narcissa warned the two Death Eaters as she charged forward and pulled Hermione away from them and pushed her into the arms of her son who grabbed hold of her but held her in front of him like having her to close to him would hurt him in some way. "I do not need to remind you that if you beat her to death you kill the child too. How will the Dark Lord be able to revitalize himself without the child." she growled at them.

"Thank you my dear Narcissa," Voldemort said as he came up behind the blonde haired witch, his hand resting on her shoulder. "You are quite right." he said as he pointed his wand at the two Death Eaters, hitting them both with the painful Cruciatus curse. Any other time he would have used the worst of the unforgivable curses on him but the truth was Voldemort had lost a lot of followers and could not afford to lose anymore.

Hermione watched her attackers fall to the floor, writhing in pain. Something she was in a lot of herself. She presumed the stress she was under was in no way good for her baby and she could practically feel her unborn baby's distress. She was in pain constantly, pain that was only made worse when a contraction started.

"Draco, take the Mudblood back to the cellar. I don't want to see her again unless she is giving birth." Voldemort said, he then turned to look right at Hermione and said, "Then you will live only long enough to see me kill you child so that I can become as strong as I used to be. Then I will destroy Harry Potter and that traitor Severus Snape and everyone else you care about who worked to destroy me."

"You won't get the chance!" Hermione growled at him.

"We'll see." he spat back at her before Draco dragged her out of the room and back to the cellar.

~0~0~0~0~

Some time later.

Hermione had been back in the cellar alone for what felt like the longest couple of hours of her life. She was holding her stomach and trying to breathe through the pain of her current contraction. As abruptly as it had come upon her it faded. She was left a little breathless but thankful the pain was gone...for now. They were coming faster and faster and all the praying she could possibly do wasn't slowing them down any.

She looked up as the cellar door opened. And the room burst with light, something it only did when someone else came in. The moment they would leave it would be plunged back into darkness. She dreaded who was about to walk in but couldn't help but be slightly relieved as Narcissa Malfoy walked in. Out of everyone in her present company Narcissa was the one Hermione feared less.

Hermione could see she was carrying a tray of food and although she couldn't help but admit the food looked good she felt far too sick with pain to eat anything, despite having been hungry as hell before her contractions had started. She knew she could sure as hell use the energy the food would provide her with but eating really didn't seem like an option right now.

Hermione stood with her arms wrapped protectively around her body as she watched Narcissa put the tray down on a small rickety table in the middle of the room. Hermione finally knew what she had bumped into when she had first woke up. The table had left a bruise on her leg, she was sure of it because it hurt a lot.

"I can see it on your face." Narcissa suddenly said as she stood upright and held her hands together in front of her.

"See what?" Hermione growled.

"Pain from the contractions, fear of impending motherhood."

Hermione looked at her wondering how she could know when no one else had. She supposed it was because Narcissa had gone through the process of giving birth."I have no idea what you talking about." Hermione said, breathlessly. "I can't wait to be a mother."

"Nor could I, but when the contractions are coming you fear about the type of mother you will be."

"I'm not having contractions." Hermione told her, trying her best to sound convincing.

"I could see that you were upstairs. You're brave, and strong, you were able to hide them well from the others. Of course none of them know what its like to see a woman have contractions, Draco's father couldn't get far enough away during his delivery. I however do know. I know you're in labour."

Hermione struggled to hold her tears back as she put more distance between herself and Narcissa. "If he knows he must be happy. He'll have my baby sooner than he thinks." she cried.

"He doesn't know. None of them do." Narcissa informed her.

Hermione turned to face her, her confusion evident on her face. A moment later her confusion was replaced by pain. She doubled over and struggled to cope with another contraction.

"You need to breathe." Narcissa told her, matter-of-factly.

"Get out!" Hermione told her.

"Breathe through the pain, it will help."

"I am breathing!" she growled, "Please just leave me alone."

"Not properly, you're holding your breath at times. Take a few shallow breaths, one big one and then exhale slowly."

Hermione didn't want to listen her, she didn't want to give the woman the satisfaction. "If you want to help me then get me out of here, don't give me lessons in how to help me deliver my baby so that the creature you all worship can kill it."

"Don't take my advice then, but if you get yourself too worked up and can't get back in control of your body then you won't need to worry about him killing your baby. Childbirth can be very dangerous for a baby but also the mother. You're a smart witch Hermione, so you know you should listen to me." Narcissa told her. She watched for a second before she turned and left the cellar.

Hermione waited for the dark damp room to plunge back into darkness but the comforting lights remained on. She wondered if Narcisaa had done it on purpose. She decided to take the older witches advice and began to breathe like she had suggested. Slowly she noticed how it did help. As her contraction ended she knew she would remember the woman's advice. Still she prayed she would be helped before she would have to go through much more of her labour here.

All along the plan had been that Molly Weasley would be there to help deliver the baby when it was time, out of everyone she was definitely the most qualified. Hermione wished the woman who at times had been like a mother to her was here now, because she didn't want to go through this alone...she wasn't sure she could.

~0~0~0~0~

"My Lord, I don't think we will have to wait much longer. The Mudblood grows weak." Bellatrix explained.

"I grow weak too. I fear that if I do not get that child soon..." Voldemort replied as he looked into the fire in front of him.

"Don't worry my Lord. I will personally see to it that you have that baby soon."

"I believe you, Bellatrix. For that reason you shall be the one to kill the Mudblood once I have the child."

Bellatrix dipped her head in respect and said, "Thank you, my Lord."

With that she left the room. She had wanted to be the one to kill Hermione all along and now that she had permission she wasn't about to wait. One way or another she was going to get the baby to the Dark Lord tonight.

As she headed down to the cellar she began to buzz with excitement, finally the Mudblood would be dead and her Master reborn stronger than ever.

~0~0~

Hermione had never felt pain like it. She had thought her contractions could get no worse but with each one they seemed to leave her in more and more agony. She could feel herself becoming weaker with each one. She was cold and tired and with no energy wasn't sure she could cope with much more. She had truly wanted to eat the food Narcissa had brought her but when she had tried she had been sick, she was simply in too much pain.

She couldn't hold in her cries of pain as the contraction grew and grew into pain that had tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew it wouldn't be long now before her baby was coming into a world that it would never get to see. Although she would sure as hell try she knew that there would be nothing she could do to save her child's life once it had been delivered.

"Don't you realise your safer staying in there little one." she muttered breathlessly.

The contraction seemed like it was going to go on forever when Hermione suddenly felt a gush between her legs. "Oh no, no, no!" she cried out upon realising her waters had just broke.

"About time too!" She heard a voice say from behind her.

She turned to find Bellatrix standing beside her, a huge smile on her face. Hermione knew Bellatrix only cared about saving her master but as the witch stormed over to her and grabbed hold of her arm and began dragging her from the cellar Hermione tried to plead with her, "Please don't do this, my baby has done nothing wrong!" she cried

"Your child is an abomination to the magical world. Better it be destroyed now!"

"No!" Hermione screamed as she struggled to rip herself away from Bellatrix but a moment later she felt another contraction building.

"SISSY!" Bellatrix roared as the neared a room Hermione had never been in.

Narcissa came running out of one room and upon seeing Hermione knew what was about to happen.

"Its coming!" Bellatrix told her anyway.

"Get her in there." Narcissa said as she helped her sister assist Hermione who was barely able to remain on her feet now her contraction was hitting her full force.

Hermione was led into a huge room where a bed sat, she knew this is where they wanted her to deliver her baby. She noticed a black marble alter in the corner of the room. She knew that was where they would kill her baby. She had no idea how she could hold off her baby being born but she would sure as hell try.

Bellatrix practically threw Hermione onto the bed but Hermione noticed how Narcissa was much more gentle with her. She had no doubt it was only because she cared about the baby staying safe long enough for her master to kill it.

"Go get the Dark Lord, it won't be long now." Narcissa said, her voice almost a whisper. Hermione was sure she almost noticed a slight sadness to the womans voice.

As Bellatrix left the room, Narcissa tried to make Hermione comfortable. "Why are you bothering?!" Hermione growled at her before she cried out in pain.

"Breathe, Hermione. Like I told you."

"Don't act like you care!" Hermione yelled at her.

"Please just do everything I say." Narcissa told her gently.

"Get away from me!" Hermione said weakly as her head flopped back into the pillow behind her. She was so exhausted and her body felt crippled with pain.

"Hermi..." Naricssa began but she was cut off when a loud bang sounded outside the hallway. It was followed by a shower of wood and the body of a Death Eater that hit the floor hard just outside the bedroom.

Narcissa stood upright beside the bed and took out her wand. All along she had thought the Snatchers were going to double cross them and take the baby or Hermione and she was sure they were now carrying out their attack. Its why she was so surprised when Molly Weasley and Tonks suddenly appeared in the doorway. Before she could attempt to block it she felt herself hit with a spell that sent her soaring across the room before crashing into the wall. She was out cold by the time she hit the floor.

Molly and Tonks ran over to Hermione and both women helped her to her feet. "The baby is coming!" Hermione told them, sheer panic in her voice.

"That's why we're all here to get you out of here. Don't worry Hermione, you'll be back safe at home soon and then you can have your baby." Tonks told her.

"You've got nothing to worry about, Dear." Molly told her as they led Hermione from the room.

Everywhere Hermione looked her friends and members of the New order where fighting her captors. Tonks and Molly had to continue to fight too, propping Hermione up with one had and using theirs wand with their free hand. Hermione wished there was more she could do to help.

It was as she was led past the main hall that she saw both Harry and Snape fighting Voldemort. She could see they were doing a fantastic job. Voldemort was just too weak and without her baby he didn't stand a chance.

Suddenly she felt the kick of a spell dan she, Molly and Tonks were thrown to the ground. Hermione turned to see that Molly, who had hit her head hard on the wall behind them, was out cold. She grabbed the older witch's wand and used it to throw a jinx at the Snatcher who had hit them. He was thrown back into another one, both of them landing injured and unconscious on the floor.

"Molly!" Tonks cried as she tried to help the woman into a sitting position, praying she wasn't hurt too bad. Hermione tired to help too, the whole time keeping an eye out for the danger that seemed to be all around them. She glanced back into the main hall just in time to see an attack coming that Snape and Harry hadn't.

"Look out!" Hermione screamed as Bellatrix appeared behind Harry and pointed her wand at him. However Snape turned quickly and as Harry hit Voldemort with a spell that would finally see the last of the Dark Lord forever, Snape hit Bellatrix with a similar one, however her spell and his spell clashed before backfiring on them both with a painful blast. Bellatrix was sent soaring towards one end of the room, Snape to the other.

As Bellatrix opened her eyes and saw her master take his final breath she realised she had to leave before she too was killed. Before anyone could stop her she Disapparated, promising she would get revenge for her master.

Bellatrix was not the only one to leave upon seeing their master finally defeated by the boy-who-lived. The others began to Disapparate too, the ones who weren't killed or captured before they could do so that is.

Hermione suddenly cried out in sheer agony. It was hearing this that brought Snape out of his semi-conscious state. He pushed himself up from the floor with a little assistance from Harry. Both of them then ran over to Hermione. Harry was shocked to see Snape so lovingly reach out and take hold of Hermione's face in his hands.

"I don't expect you to forgive me for what was said but please know that I never meant a word of it. I came looking for you the moment I came to my senses." he explained to her.

Hermine half smiled at him but reached up to pull his hand away from her face and said, "Now isn't the time Severus, the baby is coming."

"Then lets get you out of here." Snape said wondering if he had blown it with Hermione for good this time. He was sure she was exhausted from her ordeal, he could see that on her face but he could hear the distance she felt towards him in her voice. He knew he would fight to keep her no matter how much she may have not wanted him. First he had to get her somewhere safe so that their child could come into the world.

With that they all began to Disapparate to the place they had agreed on earlier. Although Voldemort was now gone, Snape couldn't help but feel his child would not yet be safe and the others had vowed to help keep it safe for as long as they were needed.

TBC

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