Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
- William Shakespeare, excerpt Sonnet 116
The trees surrounding Hogsmeade were dropping their leaves; orange, yellow and brown confetti that lined the road, signalling the change of season.
Hermione walked along briskly, her arm tucked neatly in the crook of Severus's elbow, setting the pace on the way to their destination. They were running a little behind that afternoon as he had been in the castle supervising a detention that he'd had to assign the day before when two third-year students intentionally exploded the cauldron of another student in his class. He had been so furious when he came home for the night, Hermione had to slip a calming draught into his tea in order to get him to sleep.
They arrived at the Three Broomsticks, and Hermione peered around the pub, seeking out their friends who were already there. She spied Harry and Luna over in a booth in the corner and grasped her husband's hand, pulling him in that direction. He acquiesced wordlessly and allowed himself to be half-dragged by his bossy little wife through the throng of people in the pub. It was unusually busy there that day, and Hermione was grateful their friends had managed to scrounge up a table at all.
'Hello, you two,' Harry greeted cheerfully, his green eyes flashing with amusement when he saw the way Hermione was pulling her husband along with her.
'It's good to see you Hermione, Severus,' Luna greeted as they shuffled to join them in the booth.
Hermione could tell Severus was still a little on edge, so she grasped his hand under the table and gave it a little squeeze. He glanced at her, and she saw his features soften and shoulders sag a little as he forced himself to be agreeable. Smiling, she waved over a waiter and they all ordered their drinks. Hermione ordered herself pumpkin juice – not wanting to be tempted by fate that afternoon and have to wander home drunk. Severus had no such compunctions, and ordered a lager along with everyone else. Her husband was a disciplined man, even on the very rare occasion he had a few drinks.
'How has the term been at school so far?' Harry asked, taking a swig of the drink that was placed in front of him.
Severus sighed heavily. 'My students are trying to march me to an early grave,' he answered with no small amount of irritation in his voice.
'Come now, Severus, they couldn't be any worse than Ron and I were back in our day,' Harry said teasingly.
'They are a close second,' he ground out.
Hermione smiled and put her hand on his arm gently to soothe him. He looked at her and instantly relaxed his clenching jaw and sighed heavily, rubbing his hand over his eyes.
'My apologies,' Severus said to Harry and Luna. 'I am afraid I have not been good company so far today. How is the paper this month?'
Luna offered him an understanding smile. 'Wonderful, thank you for asking,' she answered. 'I had to hire an assistant this week to help with correspondence and keeping track of mine and Harry's schedules. I've been swamped with articles to write and assign, and it's been hard but terrific.'
Harry smiled and nodded enthusiastically. 'You both said once that running a business would be a challenge, and you were not wrong,' he piped. 'I spend more time in business meetings than I do in the office.'
Harry and Luna continued to talk about their business, which was no small relief. Severus was distracted from his problems at school for a little while at least. Grimmauld Place had been completely gutted and transformed into the Head office for the Quibbler, so Harry and Luna had bought a beautiful little house together in Cambridge a few months before so they could keep their work and home life separate. Hermione was so proud of her friends for their hard work and so pleased that their paper now rivalled the Daily Prophet in popularity. They kept their articles and stories honest and entertaining, retaining much of the quirkiness that set it apart from the other rags in the first place, and having Harry behind it went some way to gaining a little popularity.
A waiter arrived while they were all conversing and took their lunch orders, and within ten minutes they all had lovely steaming plates of pot roast and vegetables in front of them. Despite being relatively peckish before they had arrived at lunch, Hermione was suddenly feeling a little put off lunch and she picked at her food, eating mostly the vegetables and ignoring the pot roast. Severus raised his eyebrow at her when he noticed her plate, but she simply smiled and waved him off.
'Anyway, so the real reason we asked you two for lunch is we had something to tell you,' Harry said with a wide smile, drawing Hermione's attention back to the conversation properly.
'What is it, Harry?'
'We are engaged,' he answered.
'Truly?'
Luna nodded, and waved her left hand that had been tactfully hidden on her lap until that point, displaying a surprisingly tasteful ring – a gold band with a princess cut diamond, flocked on both sides with a smaller diamond. It mostly likely cost him a fairly large sum, but Hermione knew that Harry would move heaven and earth for Luna. She reached across the table and grasped both of their hands with hers and gave them a happy squeeze.
'I'm so happy for you both,' she said, feeling eyes mist with tears. 'It's about time.'
Severus for his part did not look completely unmoved by the information as he would normally be – he and Harry had long ago formed a rather touching friendship, and while there was still a lot of sarcasm and gentle ribbing between them, it was all without malice. It warmed Hermione's heart just thinking about it, and the tears in her eyes spilled over as the emotions washed over her. She grasped her napkin and quickly blotted her tears, smiling and shaking her head at her husband when he looked at her with concern.
'I'm just happy,' she explained.
'I would love it if you would be my maid of honour,' Luna said with a warm smile.
Hermione nodded and laughed a teary, watery laugh. 'Of course I will be your maid of honour!'
'You too, Severus,' Harry interjected. 'What do you say? Be my best man?'
Severus raised his brows in surprise. 'Are you certain you wouldn't prefer Weasley?'
Harry chuckled. 'Ron is great, but he still isn't the most reliable bloke,' he replied. 'You're my choice, so you'd better accept, old boy.'
Severus smirked. 'Very well, I accept,' he answered.
'Fantastic!'
The rest of lunch was spent chatting about the tentative plans Harry and Luna had begun to make for their wedding come summer. It gave them just enough time to plan what was likely to be a fairly large affair, but was not such a long engagement that they could afford to dawdle. Hermione, of course, had been recruited to help Luna plan – it was, after all, one of her areas of expertise. Once they had finished eating, drinking and catching up, it was time for them to part ways and Hermione allowed Severus to lead her home.
Hermione was feeling a little sluggish if she was completely honest, and somewhere during their time out she had started to feel a little nauseous, so she sipped her juice, didn't eat any more of her food, and listened quietly while her friends talked.
'Are you feeling unwell, pet?' Severus asked her as they walked slowly through the village in the direction of their house on the outskirts of town.
She nodded, holding onto his arm tightly. 'I think I might need to lie down for a while when we get home,' she answered.
'I'll make you some tea as soon as we get home and you are to go straight to bed and rest,' he told her, his tone brooking no argument.
Hermione was in no position to argue – she was feeling increasingly dreadful. Soon they reached their home surrounded by trees and she felt awash with relief. Once inside, she immediately went to bed as instructed, Severus taking her cloak to hang up for her. She slid under the covers gratefully, closing her eyes. Ten minutes passed and her husband was in the room with a steaming mug of tea that he cast a charm on to keep warm for her, as well as a damp flannel. He placed it on her forehead, and it felt pleasantly cool.
'Thank you, love,' she whispered weakly.
'Is there anything else I can do for you?' he asked, concern lining his face.
She shook her head gently. 'No, I think I just need to rest. Hopefully whatever this is will pass soon,' she replied, reaching out towards him.
He captured her hand with his, coming to perch on the edge of the bed beside her, pressing his lips to her knuckles in a gentle kiss. 'I worry,' he told her.
'I know you do,' she said with a small smile.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers gently. 'I'm going to head back to Hogwarts while you sleep and do some paperwork that I didn't have time for earlier today,' he said, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone. 'If you need anything at all, Floo my office or send your Patronus, please.'
'I will,' she said, her eyes beginning to feel heavy. 'Off with you.'
He chuckled softly, leaning down for another quick kiss before he walked out of the bedroom. She heard the Floo activate in their sitting room downstairs and knew she was alone. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her.
Hermione had no idea how much time passed as she slept, but a while after she first closed her eyes to sleep, she sat up in the bed suddenly, her stomach roiling. She jumped out of the bed and bolted into the bathroom, just barely getting the toilet lid and seat up before violently expelling the contents of her stomach into it. She vomited until it was nothing by bile, still feeling abominable despite that. She closed the lid and flushed, hauling herself up off the tiles and leaning heavily against the sink so she could brush her teeth and rinse the sour taste from her mouth.
As she brushed, Hermione stared at the reflection looking back from her, wondering who the woman looking back at her was. Surely she hadn't looked that abominable earlier in the day. Her hair was an unmanageable mess – she had grown it longer again in the past two years, but in that moment she was tempted to go to the Village and ask to have it chopped off again. The dark smudges under her eyes made her look like she hadn't slept in a week, and she was paler than she had looked in a while, but she had a feeling that was due to her sudden onset of illness.
Once she was finished cleaning herself up, she washed and dried her face before going back to the bedroom and laying down. She took small sips of the still warm tea, trying to will away the lingering nausea.
She slid back under the covers, feeling both tired and nauseous still, hoping it was just a small stomach bug that would make its way through her system quickly. She had that weekend off work, and didn't fancy spending her Sunday stuck in bed when she had so few days off with her husband as it was. Closing her eyes once more, she allowed sleep to swallow her up in the hope she would wake up feeling better.
Nearly a week had passed since Hermione had first started experiencing her nausea, dizziness and tired spells. She wasn't normally all three things at once, but sometimes there was a little overlap. She was concerned by her lack of improvement despite taking nausea potions and generally trying to snack throughout the day on plain salted crackers and electrolytes to keep the queasiness at bay. But after days of feeling miserable, she decided that she needed to get checked up, and had organised to meet up with Penny Clearwater during their lunch break to do an exam.
Hermione left her patient files on the desk in her office, closing and locking up on her way down to the first floor. She caught the elevator down, and walked purposefully towards Penny's office, stopping in the doorway and knocking to announce her arrival.
'Hello, you,' she said to the blonde woman who was still at her desk working.
Penny looked up at her and smiled in greeting. 'Oh, I'm sorry!' she exclaimed. 'I lost track of time. Is it lunch already?'
Hermione nodded. 'Shall we go to an exam room first and then eat?'
The other Healer nodded and gestured for her to proceed. 'Yes, better to do this on an empty stomach. I am sure there will be a simple explanation for your illness.'
'I hope so,' Hermione said with a sigh. 'I feel wretched.'
They walked into the nearest empty exam room and Penny warded the door so that no one could enter or overhear their conversation.
'Okay, you better shed your robe so I can get a better visual,' Penny told her.
Hermione unbuttoned and slid off her outer robes, hanging it over a chair before she perched on the exam table. Penny swished and flicked her wand casting several powerful diagnosis charms, before a strange look came over her face and she cast her most recent charm again, hovering her wand over Hermione's midsection. After a moment she tucked her wand away and stood with her hands on her hips smiling.
'Well? Don't leave me in suspense,' Hermione said impatiently. 'What the hell is wrong with me?'
'You are pregnant,' Penny said with a grin.
Hermione's eyes widened until they were practically bulging out of her skull. 'Pregnant?' she whispered in disbelief.
Her friend nodded, crossing her arms in front of her. 'It easily explains all of your symptoms, and the spell is accurate to the day – you are currently six weeks along,' she explained. 'You should have your period by now, but I'm going to assume you haven't had your monthly cycle yet?'
Hermione shook her head mutely. 'It would normally have started by now – I thought I was just a couple of days behind, but this really explains a lot,' she answered. 'Pregnant…'
'Are you okay?' Penny asked.
She nodded. 'Oh, I am fine,' she replied. 'I'm still feeling sick, but at least now I know why…'
'When are you going to tell Severus?'
'Oh god, Severus,' Hermione said, anxious suddenly. 'I told him I was fine the past few days to stop him from worrying about me, but I know he can tell something is up. I suppose I'll tell him tonight after we get home from dinner.'
'I'm certain he will be thrilled,' Penny said reassuringly. 'You have discussed children before haven't you?'
She nodded. 'We agreed on one – maybe two. But this was so long ago, and we haven't spoken about children recently. I haven't wanted to broach the subject as he's been having such a hard time with certain students this year already and I thought that the less stress I pile on him the better…'
'Hermione, you have to know that your husband would never view you as a burden,' Penny admonished lightly. 'That man is as besotted with you now as the day I first saw you two together nearly five years ago. I am certain the news will be welcome.'
Hermione felt a wave of emotion and her eyes began to well up with tears. It had been happening an awful lot this past week, and now she knew her pregnancy hormones were to thank for it.
'I will tell him.'
'Good. Now, let's go and get some food into you and after lunch we'll get you some potions to manage the nausea to begin with, and I'm almost certain Severus will want to brew any of your other prenatal potions himself.'
Hermione sniffed and gave her friend a watery smile. 'You're not wrong there.'
Chuckling, the pair made their way out of the exam room and to the staffroom to eat and rest for a while. Hermione took a potion for the nausea as well as some vitamins, before she returned to the fourth floor and her office to continue with her paperwork that day. She felt a pit in her stomach despite all of the potions she had ingested for the rest of the day, knowing that it was probably anxiety about telling her husband they were going to be parents.
They hadn't been trying to get pregnant, and in fact, Hermione had been diligently taking a contraceptive potion every month until such time as he expressed the desire to try for a child. But it seemed that the choice had been taken out of their hands and she was not keen on the idea of terminating the pregnancy on the off-chance she couldn't get pregnant again.
Soon enough the workday finally came to an end, and Hermione locked up and left her office, heading to the nearest fireplace on the ground floor and Flooing to the Hogwarts infirmary. The hospital wing was blessedly empty, and when she poked her head into the Matron's office, it was empty – Poppy must have gone down to the Great Hall already for dinner. Sighing heavily, Hermione fished the nausea potion out of the pocket of her Healer robes and took a swig. She didn't want to appear ill at dinner and cause a scene.
She warded the hospital wing on her way out, heading straight for the Great Hall. She entered through the side door that the staff used and saw that her usual seat between Poppy and Severus was waiting for her, both the matron and Deputy Headmaster in their seats along with the majority of the other staff. She hurried up and smiled at the two in greeting before sliding into her chair. She felt so tired, but was determined to make it through dinner before Flooing home.
'How was your day, love?' she asked Severus, putting a hand on his arm affectionately.
He slid his arm back so he could capture her small hand. 'Tolerable,' he answered, his expression unchanged. He was not one for smiling while in the presence of his students – he had a reputation to uphold.
Everyone knew that Deputy Headmaster Snape and Healer Snape were married, and many of them had expected their professor to soften because he was in a relationship. How wrong they had been – he was as much of a stern taskmaster as ever. If anything, his new status as husband served to make him more strict because he had another person in his life to take into consideration. Hermione knew he was just trying to keep his students safe – potions could be very volatile when brewed improperly. One single misstep could cause a cauldron to melt, blow up or the potion to become unusable. None of these was acceptable in the eyes of her husband, and so he ruled his class with an iron fist.
'How are things at St. Mungo's?' Poppy asked.
'Business as usual I'm afraid,' Hermione answered. She had been in charge of the Janus Thickey ward for a little over two years, and so the majority of her patients had been there for quite a long time.
'Are you feeling alright today?' Severus asked from her other side.
She turned to look at him and nodded. It wasn't a lie technically – the potion she had taken before dinner was keeping the nausea at bay for the meantime. 'I'm fine,' she answered.
His frown spoke volumes. He didn't believe her, but it seemed like he was willing to let it drop for now.
They ate dinner and Hermione listened to Poppy chat beside her about the goings-on that week so far. Hermione didn't always eat in the Great Hall, but when she did, Poppy was always all too happy to catch her up on the gossip that Severus generally ignored. When dinner began to draw to an end, the students began filing out of the Hall along with many of the teachers. Poppy left hastily in case any of the students needed the infirmary after dinner for any reason, giving her a hug on her way out.
Hermione stood and Severus escorted her down to his chambers in the Dungeon's – he didn't stay there often at all anymore, preferring to be with her in their home at night. He did, however, use the fireplace to Floo to and from their home in the mornings and evenings when he finished patrols after curfew. When they were finally in his chambers, she went to grab some Floo powder, but his gentle touch on her elbow stopped her, and she turned to look up at his face.
'Tell me what is bothering you,' he urged softly.
Hermione paled, but caught a glimpse of anxiety in his eyes that he was trying to mask with a blank expression. She turned and reached out for him, wrapping her arms around his midsection and burrowing her face against his neck. He exhaled the breath he had been holding in audibly, and returned her embrace, folding his strong arms around her. She felt her emotions begin to bubble over again, but this time she forced herself to hold it back, not wanting to worry him any further.
'I had Penny give me an exam today,' she murmured against him.
He tightened his arms around her. 'I suspected you were still feeling poorly, but I can't understand why you felt you had to keep this from me,' he said, sounding a little wounded.
She pulled her head back so she could look up at him properly. 'I know I shouldn't have kept it from you,' she admitted. 'I just didn't want you to worry about me.'
He sighed heavily, releasing his iron hold with one of his arms and grasping her chin so he could look directly into her brown eyes. 'Hermione, I want to be useful to you,' he said firmly. 'There are so few times when I am actually able to care for you. It seems as though you have been taking care of me for the entirety of our life together – before even. Let me take care of you for once.'
Hermione felt warmth spread through her chest at his words and nodded, dislodging his hand. 'I'll try,' she replied teasingly.
'It's a start.'
Huffing a deep breath she looked into his dark, inscrutable eyes. 'I'm pregnant,' she told him, matter-of-factly.
His eyes bulged and brows shot up into his hairline, almost disappearing. 'Pregnant?'
Hermione nodded, smiling weakly. 'Surprise?'
She watched as a range of emotions flashed through her husband's eyes, but his expression remained neutral. He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut again, swallowing hard. He frowned and shook his head, evidently annoyed at himself. Hermione lifted her hand to his cheek to soothe him and shift his focus back to her.
'I'm sorry,' she said quickly. 'I know we didn't plan…'
He pressed his fingers to her lips to silence the words she was about to speak. 'Don't,' he murmured quietly. 'Never say that. It doesn't matter that this was not the plan right now.'
'Are you mad?'
He shook his head fervently. 'I'm not the least bit upset.'
'Are you – pleased?' she asked, trying to gauge his feelings in that moment.
He nodded slowly. 'I know it has been quite a while since we last discussed children,' he began, stroking his finger down the slope of her nose. 'My feelings on the matter have not changed.'
'So, we are happy then?'
He chuckled at her uncertainty. 'Yes, my love,' he crooned, leaning in and capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. 'We are happy.'
She felt her lips spread in her first true smile in two weeks, and flung her arms around his neck tightly again, pressing her lips to his. She didn't even realise she had started crying again until she could taste the salt from her tears in their kiss. He cupped the back of her head with one hand, still gripping her waist firmly with the other. She felt his tongue tease at her lips and she allowed him entry, sliding her own warm, slick little tongue against his as he tasted her. When they finally pulled away her curls were decidedly more dishevelled, and his lips were glistening and a little puffier from their kisses.
'I'm six weeks along,' she informed him with a grin.
'This explains why you menses haven't arrived this week,' he mused.
Hermione frowned at him. 'You've been tracking my cycle?'
He chuckled. 'Not intentionally,' he replied. 'I simply took note, so I knew what to expect every month,' he answered. 'You aren't terribly hard to figure out, my love. Even when hormonal you are a creature of habit.'
She pouted and huffed in annoyance at his comment. 'I have a feeling this pregnancy is going to challenge a lot of our preconceived notions about one another,' she said with a smile.
'I look forward to the challenge,' he remarked.
'I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I can feel my nausea potion beginning to wear off and I'd like to get home to shower and sleep.'
Severus nodded and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. 'Go and rest, love,' he said, releasing her and steering her back towards the fireplace. 'We can talk more later – I'll be back as soon as my patrol is over, and we can discuss what to do next.'
She nodded and grabbed a handful of Floo powder, calling out her destination and stepping into the green flames, smiling at her husband as she disappeared.
The next weeks passed in a blur for Hermione, and while she knew that pregnancy would change her life as she knew it, she couldn't believe just how many things that she used to do comfortably were weakened in her current state. She was tired and strung out all of the time, regularly nauseous even with the nausea solution, and had taken a couple of days off work when she got a migraine because she couldn't take any pain relief for it lest it affect the baby.
Severus had been a saint – he was so doting and protective, not allowing her to do anything strenuous and diligently making all of her prenatal potions.
She felt terrible because she had been too tired with her body changing to accommodate their child to pay him proper attention. Their sex life was suffering as well, and she missed the intimacy but also felt too sick to initiate anything, and Severus had not pushed her for anything. She knew he must be feeling the loss as well, but he never complained, and when she had a headache he would hold her at night and rub her temples and neck to soothe her.
She was almost twelve weeks into her pregnancy by this point and nearing the end of her first trimester, hopeful that the second one would be kinder to her. That weekend was Halloween, and the feast was going to be on Saturday night. Minerva had invited a few of the former students to attend, so Harry and Luna would be there along with Ron and his wife Rose. Neville had taken over as the Herbology professor that year, so he and Ginny would also be in attendance along with the rest of the Weasley's.
Hermione and Severus had decided together to announce her pregnancy to them at the feast, now that the baby was more established.
She had not yet begun to show – perhaps she would in another few weeks, but for the time-being she could continue to wear the clothes and robes she already had. Soon enough she would begin to expand and stretch and have to replace her wardrobe with new clothes. She wasn't looking forward to looking like a parade float balloon, but accepted that it was in her future. She had told Severus this, and he had simply chuckled and silenced her with a kiss that made her toes curl until she was convinced he would not view her as such.
She heard the Floo come to life in the living room, and the sound of her husband's footsteps on the staircase.
'Hermione?' Severus called out as he trudged up to their bedroom. 'Are you awake?'
She smiled. 'I'm in bed reading,' she answered.
He poked his head into the room and smiled on seeing her. 'Hello, pet,' he greeted. 'How was work today? Are you feeling okay?'
She nodded, placing her book on the nightstand and reaching her hand out to him. He walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, holding her hand loosely with his. He leaned forwards and kissed her gently.
'I will shower quickly and come to bed,' he told her.
She held tighter to his hand, sliding the other hand into his hair and pulling him back to her for another kiss. She had missed him, and was sick of feeling sick and tired and frustrated. She slid her tongue against his lips, and both heard and felt his groan as he parted for her. She suckled his tongue, nipping his soft lips, her fingers gently tracing circles against his scalp. He returned her kiss with fervour, and soon she found herself pinned down beneath him, his heavier body pressing her into the mattress.
He pulled back for air, but immediately kissed down her throat, pausing to suckle her clavicle, marking her flesh with his lips, teeth and tongue possessively. She moaned softly, unable to think when his hands were wandering all over her, squeezing her breasts over her silky pyjama top. She gasped – she hadn't expected her breasts to be so sensitive, but they tingled more than usual, and she writhed beneath him desperate for more of his touch.
She pushed against his shoulders, sitting up just enough so she could pull her top up and off, tossing it aside.
Severus eyed her breasts appreciatively, immediately thumbing her dusty rose nipples. They tightened even further which spurred him on to taste them. He nuzzled, squeezed and pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses to her exposed flesh. He pulled back and withdrew his wand from the sleeve of his robes, waving it to cast a silent spell, ridding them of the rest of their cumbersome clothing. Hermione gazed at his nude form with blazing amber eyes. There was not a single scrap of spare flesh on him, even after all these years.
The moment passed, and soon he was slotted between her legs, his hard shaft sliding around her labia and up against her clit. Her hips arched up into him involuntarily, tearing an airy gasp from her throat.
'Please,' she whimpered, growing more frustrated with every pass of his glans over her bundle of nerves. 'I want you inside me.'
He smirked at her, reaching a long-fingered hand down to slide through her folds, sinking a finger into her channel. She bucked up into him and blushed at how desperate and wanton her body was behaving. Her hormones were making her want things she hadn't even thought of before. Pumping his finger in and out a little, he established a rhythm before slipping in a second and third. Her quim began to tremble around him, and he soon replaced his fingers with his hard shaft, thrusting into her unceremoniously.
Long had it been since there was a need to tell one another what they wanted with words. Hermione felt wonderfully full, and her body involuntarily clenched a little at his sudden invasion. He sucked in a sharp breath, his jaw clenching as he fought to regain his composure before moving within her.
'Careful witch,' he growled, nipping at her lips with his teeth briefly. 'Keep that up and you will be left behind.'
Hermione giggled at his threat, but complied and allowed him to set the pace. He snaked a hand down to circle and play with her clit as he increased his pace and began pounding her furiously into the mattress, the bed squeaking a little from the force.
'Come for me, my love,' he whispered hotly, his tongue snaking out to trace the shell of her ear as he played her expertly while his hips snapped into hers as he fucked her.
'Fuck!' she shouted hoarsely as her body suddenly jerked, her walls clenching around his cocked as he pistoned in and out of her still – it was all she could do not to writhe around beneath him.
He followed her shortly after, his own orgasm ripping through him like fire, scorching her body and soul, his thrusts slowing and becoming more shallow before he finally withdrew and rolled to collapse beside her.
'That was – '
He chuckled and propped himself up on one hand to gaze at her. 'It was necessary,' he murmured softly. 'We have both been much occupied.'
'I've missed this,' she admitted openly, tracing a finger from his shoulder to his jutting hipbone.
'As have I, pet,' he reassured her.
He rolled over and stuck his hand out, summoning his wand and using it to cast cleansing charm over both of them, whisking away the sweat and evidence of their passion. She knew he would want to get up and clean himself properly, but Hermione just wanted to cuddle close to him for a while, so she shuffled closer to him on the bed, and wrapped her arms around his middle nuzzling her face against his flesh. He chuckled softly, wrapping her in his arms and kissed the top of her hair. They lay there together, simply enjoying being near one another, absorbing each other's warmth and silently reflecting.
'I know that the past few weeks have been a challenge,' she began quietly, needing to get her feelings out. 'But I think I might be through the worst of my nausea and I think this second trimester is going to be a lot calmer.'
He sighed, pulling her closer. 'How do you know?'
'I just have a feeling,' she murmured in reply.
He laughed. 'You Gryffindors place a lot of value on your so-called "feelings". I can name several instances where this instinct has been misplaced,' he quipped.
Hermione raised up her head from his chest to shoot him a quelling look. 'This is happening inside of my body,' she said tersely. 'I think I am more qualified to speak on how it is feeling.'
Severus looked at her with a strange expression then and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. 'I was just teasing, my love,' he uttered quietly. 'I understand that this has not been a particularly encouraging experience for you so far.'
She sighed and closed her eyes. 'I know. Sorry for being snappy – I'm a little overly emotional right now and I have no idea what I am going to feel at any moment.'
'You said a few weeks ago that this was going to be a challenge, and so far it has not disappointed on that front. I will do whatever must be done – even if it is just being here for you and enduring your ever shifting emotions. I am here for you – always.'
She opened her eyes and gave him a beatific smile. 'I love you.'
He cupped her cheek with one of his warm, calloused hands, passing his thumb over her lips. 'I love you,' he told her seriously. 'You have given me more than I ever thought I was worthy of, and incredibly more than I ever think I will be deserving of. You astound me, witch.'
Her eyes welled up with tears and she allowed them to slide down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb and kissed her cheeks and forehead and lips. She felt very lucky indeed to have found the love of her life when she did.
The rest of the week passed by quickly, and soon the Halloween feast was upon them, and Hermione had requested the night off from work so she could join her friends and they could make their announcement.
She wasn't sure why, but she was nervous to tell her friends. She had called and told her parents the day after she had first found out she was pregnant, but otherwise they had agreed between them to wait a while before making it public knowledge. Hermione felt bad for not telling Harry sooner – he was the brother she never had, and they always told one another everything. She just didn't want to get ahead of herself in case something happened, and she lost their child.
Sighing, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror for a moment, taking in her appearance. She still looked a little tired, but that day she had decided to go to the village and get her hair cut again for the first time in two years. She had them cut it to above her shoulders once more as she had at the end of her first year of her Healing apprenticeship. She felt like a dead weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and despite the fact that she had done so impulsively, much like the first time, she was happy with the soft, bouncy curls she had now that it wasn't a long, unmanageable mess.
Reaching into one of the drawers beneath the sink, she pulled out a small cosmetics bag and lightly applied a little makeup to disguise her dark circles and add a few touches of colour to her face so she didn't appear as pale and sick as she had been feeling. She had been less nauseous the past couple of days, but now the nerves were plaguing her stomach and she was sick for an altogether different reason. She envied the witches who did not have to go through the sickness she had experienced in her first trimester.
With care, she pinned back her hair on the one side, and dressed in her most flattering navy dress robes, pleased that they were very forgiving around the stomach. While she did not have a defined pregnant pop to her stomach, she felt as though she looked bloated or perhaps like she had just put on a bit of weight and it made her feel self-conscious. Although in just the past few days her husband had been very active in showing her just how enticing he still found her to be.
'Hermione, my dear, are you ready?' she heard Severus call out from downstairs.
She looked at herself for a moment longer and decided that it was the best she could hope for, shoving her feet into some low heals as she made her way downstairs to join him. He had told her that morning he would get ready at Hogwarts where he had kept some of his dress robes so that he was not getting underfoot, and would come to collect her before the feast was due to begin.
'Hello,' she greeted, walking over to join him where he stood by the fireplace.
He turned to look at her and his brows rose in surprise. 'You cut your hair again.'
She smirked at his obvious statement. 'I did,' she replied, putting her hands on his chest to steady herself as she leaned up to kiss his lips gently.
He smiled then, bussing her lips with his own in a second, longer kiss. 'I always liked your hair this length,' he told her. 'I don't recall why you grew it longer again…'
'I just became complacent and never got it cut,' she replied with a shrug.
He nodded, ushering her a little closer to the fireplace. He tossed in the powder and Hermione stepped into the green flames and called out for his Hogwarts quarters. When she stepped out, she dusted herself off a little and stood to the side just in time for him to stride out of the flames as well. She noticed he wore his black dress robes with the brass buttons, and his long hair was tied back as he had taken to doing for formal occasions. He cut a very striking figure as always, and she felt a wave of desire for him pool in her belly.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to snap out of it. It wasn't the time for that, and they had a feast to attend.
'Shall we?' he asked, holding out his arm to her.
She accepted, tucking her small hand into the crook of his elbow and allowing him to lead the way out of the Dungeon's and into the Great Hall through the staff entry. Hermione noticed the décor and was impressed with how beautiful everything looked. It was subtle, and understated in a way that Hogwarts feasts normally were not, and she found herself astounded by the beautiful harvest theme and colours of fall instead of the dark black and rich orange garishness of the past.
'This is beautiful,' she exclaimed to her husband, looking around at the hall and the tables. 'Who did the decorating?'
Severus cleared his throat uncomfortably from beside her and she looked at him, her mouth agape when she understood what the cough implied. HE had been in charge of the decorating. Severus would never cease to surprise her with each new little thing he revealed throughout the years. She had found the way he kept their home at Spinner's End and his chambers surprising at first also, so it wasn't really a surprise to her that he has some skill with embellishing.
'It is spectacular, love,' she told him, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek which was flushed pink with embarrassment.
'Yes well,' he said, clearing his throat roughly. 'A Deputy Headmaster's job is never done.'
She smiled at him fondly. 'You work so hard,' she said softly. 'I am sure Minerva appreciates everything you do here.'
He ducked his head in an almost endearingly shy way. Her affection towards him increased tenfold and she gave his arm a squeeze as they went to join the staff table. He pulled her chair out for her gallantly before seating himself between her and Minerva as usual, and Poppy joined them a little while afterwards, her eyes widening immediately when she saw her hair.
'What are you hiding?' Poppy asked quietly.
Hermione almost choked on the water she was sipping from her goblet. 'Whatever do you mean?'
'The last time you cut your hair like this, you were going through something at work,' Poppy explained, and Hermione realised not for the first time just how observant the matron was.
'We are going to tell everyone after the feast,' she replied, shooting a quelling look at the older woman and her mentor.
Poppy's eyes widened, looking back and forth between Hermione and Severus. 'You aren't, are you?' she whispered, and Hermione blushed. 'You are!'
'Poppy, hush,' she whispered frantically.
The matron thinned her lips and nodded, calming herself before speaking again. 'How long?'
'Twelve weeks just yesterday,' she answered.
'And you didn't think to tell me?' Poppy exclaimed quietly. 'My dear, I could have been taking care of you this whole time…'
'Severus has been doing a wonderful job –'
'I am certain he has,' the older witch acknowledged. 'Have you been very ill?'
Hermione nodded. 'This first trimester has been hell, but the past couple of days have been more bearable.'
'There are no words – I am just so thrilled for you both,' Poppy whispered, grasping one of her hands and giving her an affectionate squeeze.
'Thank you, Poppy,' she said with a small smile. 'It's been such a challenge trying to be discreet, but soon I am not going to be able to hide it.'
'And why should you? To our minds, pregnancy makes us feel fat and unattractive, but to anyone else looking from outside, you will be a lush goddess of fertility.'
Hermione couldn't help but scoff at the words. 'We'll see.'
Poppy wisely decided to drop the subject and focus on her food. Hermione looked out on the Great Hall and saw that the invited guests were sprinkled liberally around the hall at the various House tables. Minerva had decided against a dedicated guest table so that the students could mingle with and meet them better. It made it less intimidating than being forced to approach them after the meal was finished.
Curfew was extended out an hour for the students that night, and the guests as well as the staff all adjourned to the staff room on the second floor, leaving the Head Boy and Girl and all the Prefects to direct the students into the dorms.
Minerva had organised light refreshments, and Hermione nursed apple juice, while everyone else had wine. She wasn't a big drinker, but she missed being able to have wine with dinner or the odd beer when they met with friends. Severus stood on the other side of the room chatting to Bill and Fleur, while she listened to Ginny chat about her students. She had taken over as the full-time Charms mistress that year after spending the previous one sharing the role with Filius Flitwick as they transitioned. So many of her friends were now living and working at Hogwarts, that she would have felt more out of the loop were it not for Luna and Harry.
After a little while, she found her way over to her husband, and Minerva called for a hush over the group before indicating they turn their attention to Severus. He looked decidedly uncomfortable with the eyes of all their friends and family on him, but he persevered, much to her relief. Her stomach was in knots as it was.
'Thank you all for joining us after the meal tonight, and Minerva for organising this,' he began just loud enough for everyone to hear. 'Hermione and I are pleased to let you all know that she is with child and we are expecting in late April.'
The room was completely silent for a moment as they all processed the information before suddenly everyone in the room was thunderously loud and excited for them, coming up to hug and shake hands and express their joy. Hermione lost track of how many people had hugged her, but she beamed, and Severus was very tolerant of the number of back pats he received. She smiled at him, and he allowed himself a small smile also, as the people who they trusted most in the world celebrated with them.
'I can't believe you kept this from us!' Harry exclaimed, hugging her fiercely once the room had settled again. 'You're going to have a baby!'
Hermione giggled nervously. 'You're going to be an uncle.'
'I honestly can't wait!' Harry told her excitedly.
'You're going to be a godfather,' Severus said, walking up behind them and thrusting his hand out towards Harry, his expression serious.
Harry's eyes widened before he bypassed Severus's hand and instead hugged him. Hermione smirked as she watched her husband stiffly tolerate the hug, patting Harry on the back a few times before clearing his throat to indicate he should let go. The younger man stepped back a moment later, letting go of him.
'It will be my honour,' Harry told him, sticking his own hand out to shake on it.
Severus accepted and nodded. 'You have always been there for my wife, Harry,' he said quietly. 'I know you would do the same for any child of ours.'
He nodded fervently. 'You two are my family,' he said with genuine affection. 'Without Luna and both of your support, I would not be who I am today, so I think I owe you my thanks. I will love your child like they were my own.'
'Well in the spirit of disclosure, I strongly feel that we have a little girl cooking away in here,' Hermione said, pointing at her belly. 'She feels like a girl.'
Severus came to stand behind her, putting his arms around her and letting one of his large, warm hands rest on her stomach in a possessive manner. 'It matters not whether we have a girl or boy, just so long as they are healthy.'
After that, the little get-together began to wrap up as the guests grew tired and staff members left to complete their patrols or retire for the evening. Hermione watched fondly as the couples filed out in pairs – Ginny and Neville had been married a year already and shared quarters, Harry and Luna left with the majority of the Weasley's who did not live in the castle, Poppy returned to the infirmary – called away to give a student who was feeling sick in the stomach a potion, and Minerva smiled and bid them goodnight before Floo-ing back to her office from the staffroom.
Arm in arm, Hermione allowed Severus to lead her down to the dungeons and to their quarters so they could Floo home for the night. When they arrived, worn out from all of the socialising, they showered and slid into bed, Severus spooning close to her from behind, tucking his legs right up behind hers and holding her protectively close to him. They cast a warming spell on their bed clothes and Hermione listened to the sound of his breath evening out as he fell asleep.
She closed her eyes, thinking back on what had transpired that night and it warmed her heart. They were having a baby, their friends were all happy for them, and Severus was excited to become a father. Never would she ever have expected to have this life when she had gone back to find Severus the night he almost died. And yet, there they were, and she was so happy that she'd listened to the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that night, telling her that he was good – that he was worthy of a chance to live.
That night she dreamt of clever black eyes and dark, thick curls on a sweet, pale-faced little baby girl and she smiled in her sleep, content.
Fin?
A/N - Many thanks to everyone who read this little mini-sequel to AEFM. There is another "proper" sequel that is a few chapters long to come, and then we'll be at the actual end of our journey. Big love to Aurora_Borealis3406 for her support as my beta.