A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

Assignment #2, Crytology Task #12: The Voynich manuscript - In 1912, Polish-born antiquarian bookseller Wilfrid Michael Voynich bought 30 books from a Jesuit college in Italy including a vellum codex dating from the 1400s that has since become known as the Voynich Manuscript. The 240 pages of the manuscript are covered with 170,000 unusual symbols and glyphs. On virtually every page, there are illustrations of botanical specimens and astronomical drawings while the more unusual ones show "miniature female nudes, most with swelled abdomens".

Prompt: Write about pregnancy, or becoming a parent

Word Count: 428

"Race you," Hermione exclaimed, throwing a sheet of parchment at Percy. He grabbed it and a quill and started working on the puzzle. He loved it when Hermione made him a cypher, loved the way she challenged him. They both loved to solve arthimancy, ancient runes, or other encrypted messages. Percy always kept a stack on hand. Hermione tended to take a while long to make hers. It was part of the reason he'd married her.

He could hear her working on one from the stack he'd made her. They weren't as complicated, but she still seemed to have fun. Sometimes, Percy was sure Hermione was smarter than he, but one of these days, he might be able to make one that would stump her. The first part of the equation was easy, the second started falling into place and Percy realized it was forming a tree shape with initials. M.P plus A.W equals, Percy wrote.

There were seven more sets. One P.W split off and was added to an H.G. Percy smiled, he was starting to think this equation might be about him and Hermione. Maybe it would lead to a location for a date? Hermione had done that once, sent him sets of coordinates and had him meet here there once he figured out the puzzle. Maybe this was something similar?

He started solving the last part, only to come up with just an X. He looked over at Hermione. She had put down her quill, her puzzle half solved. She was watching him. He smiled at her, wondering if she was

"Figure it out yet?" she asked.

"No, I'm confused on the last part. I think it's us, but then the last part, it's just a variable and a W. Tt doesn't seem to have a value. There does seem to be part of a date."

"No, it doesn't, not yet anyway. I mean, can't put a first initial until later. You're right about the part being a date, it's the month and year. We'll have to wait to find out the exact day," she answered. Percy stared at her, his brain clicking the pieces into place. Hermione was watching him. He could see her eyes, see the calculating look she was giving him as he drew a conclusion from the arthimancy puzzle she'd given him.

"We're..." he asked, his voice dying in his throat. Could she really mean?

"Going to have a baby? Yes! I thought the puzzle was the cleverest way to tell you."

"I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Percy."