Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, except the one I created myself. All others belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. I have only borrowed them for my amusement and hopefully yours as well.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. With regard to the swearing – you'll notice that the characters only swear when there is a good reason for it. I would never have them say the "F" word just for the sake of saying it or for shock value. I think Ron was upset enough about Hermione to use it, don't you?

Chapter 42

Ron decided that the best tactic for him was denial. He pretended very hard that he didn't know anything about Hermione and Draco and just carried on as if nothing had ever been said. Hermione had tried to bring up the subject several times, but Ron had always found an excuse to flee. Hermione had sought advice from Jolicia.

"The only thing I can say is to let him deal with it the best way he can. Men are notorious for not being able to handle emotions," she had said. "He'll come around, eventually."

"Are you speaking from experience, Jo?" asked Hermione.

She laughed and replied, "Oh, boy am I ever! Remind me to tell you the story when you're a little older."

Hermione nodded and took Jo up on her advice. Time would tell. Hermione tried to act as if nothing had happened, just like Ron.

It wasn't long before students and teachers alike had settled back into a daily routine. Everything was going along smoothly until one day late in September.

"Mr. Potter, aren't you supposed to be in class? Why are you wandering around the corridors?" asked Snape.

"Yes, sir, I am supposed to be class right now. That is the problem," answered Harry. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"I, I mean we all have been waiting for half an hour. Jolicia hasn't shown up yet. I was going to see if she was still in your quarters. It's not like her not to be on time. I was getting worried."

A dagger of fear went through him, "You're right, it isn't like her." He turned and set off in the direction of their rooms. Harry followed as best as he could, unable to match Severus' pace.

They entered the living room and saw no one.

Severus called out, "Jo, are you here?" No answer came. He went into their bedroom to search for her.

Harry moved over to the fireplace and found Jo on the floor. She was lying with her head on some large pillows and was covered over by a quilt. She looked peaceful.

"Sir, she's in here," shouted Harry. Was she alive he wondered?

Severus came running. He stopped and stared at Jolicia. Why was she on the floor? He knelt down beside her. He held his breath as he stroked her hair. She moved! He suddenly realized that he would have known if something had been wrong with her. He would have felt it.

"Jolicia, wake up," he said.

"Just a few more minutes Sev," she mumbled.

"Darling, you have to get up now."

"Too tired, give me a few minutes." She tried to roll over and away from him.

"Jolicia, it's 10:30. You should have been up hours ago."

"Huh?" she asked, groggily. "That can't be the time. I only lay down a few minutes ago." She sat up, trying to focus. She spied Harry.

"We have been waiting for you in class, Jo" he said.

"What happened, Jolicia? Why are you on the floor?" asked Severus.

She rubbed her forehead and replied, "I…I couldn't stay awake. I've been feeling so tired these past few days. I stretched out here for a nap before class."

"A nap? You just woke up not too long ago," he said, trying to comprehend. "Here, let me help you up."

As Jo stood, the room started spinning. Her face went white and she quickly sat back down.

"Harry and I are going to take you to see Poppy. Something is wrong."

"I just got up too quickly; that's why I got dizzy. There's nothing wrong."

After a few moments, she attempted to stand once more and was fine, as she pointed out to Severus. He still insisted on going to the infirmary.

"Humor me," he said.

They set off, Harry and Severus each holding onto one of her arms. Once they had arrived, Severus sent Harry back to Jo's class to dismiss the rest of the students.

Poppy asked, "Not your head again, I hope."

Jo laughed and said, "Not this time. I'm afraid that Severus is being a bit of a mother hen."

She proceeded to tell the medi-witch what had happened. Severus did not hesitate to add in what he thought were pertinent details. Poppy took Jo aside to examine her. When she had completed her tests, the two women went back to join Severus. Poppy smiled at them.

"Congratulations. You are about three months pregnant."

"WHAT?" yelled Jolicia and Severus at the same time. They stared at one another, their faces turning pale.

"You must be mistaken," Jo finally managed to say.

"Yes. It is impossible," he added. "We always use a contraceptive spell. We've never forgotten once, have we, Jo?"

"Yes, that's right. We've never forgotten, so it has to be a mistake Poppy."

"You used extra precautions?"

"Extra precautions? No, just the usual spell. Why?" asked Jo warily.

Poppy shook her head and said, "I thought you both knew. Regular contraceptive spells are not effective for couples who are bonded. There are extra steps that you have to take in order to prevent pregnancy."

"WHAT?" yelled Jolicia and Severus, once again at the same time.

Poppy continued, "The conception of a child is part of the final step of your bonding. This magic is stronger than any ordinary spell thus necessitating the need for extra steps. Your bodies have carried out the mission they were destined for. It was inevitable. As a matter of fact, conception took place the first time you made love after your wedding."

"I wish someone would have told us. We haven't even discussed children. We would have at least known how to protect ourselves. Wait, I just thought of something. Does this mean I've been turned into a baby factory, having baby after baby?" asked Jo.

"No, no my dear. Once conception and delivery has taken place, everything returns to normal. Your bonding will be one hundred per cent complete at that time."

"Thank Merlin for that! I think I can speak for the both of us when I say we've just had the wind knocked out of us." Severus just nodded, finding himself at a loss for words.

"This is going to take some getting used to, come on love, let's go home," Jolicia said. They stood up to leave.

"Wait. I was going to tell you this later, but you might as well get used to the whole idea instead of half," said Poppy.

Severus and Jo stopped in their tracks, and turned to look at her, afraid of what she could possibly have to add.

She cleared her throat and said, "It's two. You're pregnant with twins, Jolicia."

Severus and Jolicia walked back to their rooms, not saying one word to each other. To say that they were in shock was the understatement of the century! Jo flopped down in her easy chair and stared off into space.

"I need a drink," sighed Severus as he poured himself a brandy.

Jo was about to say 'I'll have one too' when she remembered she shouldn't.

"Liquor isn't good for the baby, no, I mean babies," she thought. "Oh, Merlin, I don't believe this is happening." 

She watched Severus as he downed his brandy in one gulp. He stood there, glass in hand, staring at the decanter, contemplating taking another. He looked at the time.

Replacing the glass on the sideboard he said, "I have a class." He turned and left, not looking at his wife.

Jolicia was fortunate; she had no classes for the rest of the day. She had missed her only one earlier that morning. It left her plenty of time to consider what had just happened. She wondered how both she and Severus had not known about this extra precaution business. They were both intelligent, well informed, educated people. You'd figure that they would have heard or read about it somewhere over the years. She had a friend, Suzanne, back when she was first teaching who had been bonded. Suzanne had never mentioned this little bit of information to her. Jo suddenly remembered that Suzanne had become pregnant right away. Jo had always assumed that it had been her choice; now she knew better.

Doubts and fear began to fill her mind. What if Severus was angry at her?

"Surely he wouldn't blame me for this? Or would he?" she thought. "He is just as responsible as I am. After all, I didn't get this way all by myself."

"What if he doesn't want to be a father? He always says he doesn't like children. Merlin, what if he wants me to to…to get rid of them? No, no, I can't let that happen."

She began to cry, starting to lose control. She wept loudly for about five minutes and then suddenly stopped.

"Snap out of it, girl!" she admonished herself. "You are letting your imagination run wild. Get a grip!"

She wiped her eyes, blew her nose and decided that the best thing she could do was to go to sleep until Severus came back. And that is exactly what she did.

As it happens, he came back quite late. Severus had gone for a walk after his class to try to clear his head. The words, 'I can't believe it' kept running through his mind. He couldn't believe that he was going to be a father, a father of two! This was the last thing he had ever expected. As Jo had told Poppy, they had never even discussed the possibility of having children. It was too late for discussion now – it was a fait accompli. He came back home, his head no clearer than when he had started out. He entered and found everything in darkness.  He lit the candles of the living room with his wand and then entered the bedroom. He was relieved to find Jolicia fast asleep on their big bed. He lit one of the candles so there was just enough light to see her. There lay his wife, his pregnant wife, the mother of his two children. A wave of emotion overtook him. It was something that he had never felt before; something that he couldn't begin to describe. All he knew was that he had to hold her in his arms. He removed his shoes, robes and coat and climbed up on the bed beside her, molding himself against her.

"You're back," she said sleepily.

"So it would seem," he replied. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yes, I mean no, I mean I don't know how I am, to tell you the truth," he said honestly.

"Severus, are you angry?"

"No, I'm not angry. I think flabbergasted would be the appropriate description of my emotional state. Why do you think I'm angry?"

"Well, you never said one word earlier, so I thought that perhaps you blamed me for this predicament we're in."

He smirked and said, "If I remember correctly, I was present when conception took place. I'm the one who knocked you up, to use the vernacular. How could I be angry?"

Jo was greatly relieved by his answer. She screwed up her courage for her next question.

"How do you feel about being a father?"

He sighed, "I'm not too sure yet. As I said, I'm as stunned as you are. I think, perhaps, I might like it, given a chance. How do you feel about becoming a mother?"

She smiled, "I think I might like it too." 

They kissed and held each other tight. Severus lifted up the front of her blouse and ran his hand over her belly.

"Do you realize," he said, "that our two children are in there, right at this moment?"

"Uh huh, I haven't thought about much else since this morning. It feels strange to think someone is growing inside of you. I guess I should say someones."

She laughed and said, "Is that a word?"

"Sev?"

"Yes love?"

"Will you still love me when I'm as big as this school?"

"Most definitely, Jolicia, most definitely."

Severus did not sleep very well that night. Try as he might, it took him forever to finally doze off. He kept tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, but no matter how he arranged himself in the bed, he couldn't find the right position. He tried to be still for Jo's sake, but could not. Left side, right side, on his stomach and then on his back – nothing worked. He lay there staring into the darkness, his mind still racing. Fortunately, his roaming didn't seem to matter to Jolicia; she had had no trouble sleeping even though she had slept all afternoon. She was gone as soon as her head hit the pillow.  Severus sighed loudly. Part of him hoped it would wake her up so they could talk some more, but alas, she never stirred. What little sleep he did manage was fitful and was ultimately broken by a nightmare. He sat bolt upright in bed, panting and sweating profusely. He looked around and realized that it had only been a dream and a horrible one to boot. He had dreamt that his children had grown up and were carbon copies of the Weasley twins, Fred and George. The only difference was that his progeny had black hair instead of red. The Snape twins had followed in their predecessors footsteps and had opened a joke shop. In his dream, Severus had been horrified at his children's lack of ambition and their lackadaisical attitude towards school. He had woken up as he was saying to them, "How can you not continue in school? Your mother and I are both teachers!"  Severus lay back down and remained awake for the remainder of the night, trying to shake off the dream.

Jolicia awoke refreshed and ready to face a new day; Severus got up crabby as hell. He did not share his dream with Jo. It was foolishness anyway, he reasoned. Potions was not the class to be in that day; no one could remember so many points being deducted before. Snape had even taken points from Slytherin! What ever was bothering him, it was serious. The students cleared off very quickly after the bell rang, no one daring to remain one second longer in his presence.

Jolicia had contacted her family almost at once. Her Maman cried when she heard the news and sent an owl back immediately. She was so proud and couldn't wait to be a 'grand-mère' (grandmother). She promised that she would come to Hogwarts when it was time to give Jolicia a hand. Jo was greatly relieved that her mother was willing to help out. Jo had very little experience with babies and was terrified at the thought. She didn't share her fears with Severus. He was nervous enough as it was, he didn't need to know that she was even more scared than him. Her Dad sent her a bunch of pink roses and all of his love. He had signed the card 'Grampa'. This of course made her cry. Robert and Anne sent her two pairs of white baby booties. This, too, made her cry. When Sev asked her why she was crying, she replied 'hormones'. Men couldn't understand such things.

After a couple weeks' time, once the news of their impending parenthood had sunk in, they decided that they would share the information with their colleagues. Severus had made the announcement at the end of a staff meeting. Of course, everyone was pleased.

Dumbledore was beaming as he said, "Congratulations, my child. This is wonderful news. Well done, Severus."

Why did Jolicia have the feeling that he already knew? She would not have been surprised; he always seemed to know everything about everybody, even before the concerned parties themselves knew.  Dumbledore certainly was a powerful wizard! She was sure that he had powers that no one knew about. She felt honored to be able to count him as a friend.

They had decided not to tell the whole school right away; there would be plenty of time for that. Jo would be able to delay the public announcement for quite awhile, robes being most forgiving. However, one day the truth would be obvious and the news would be divulged at that time.

Harry and Ron had starting bugging Jo about joining them for Quidditch. So far she had been able to come up with excuses, but she was rapidly running out of those too. She discussed it with Severus and decided that she would tell them. Jo invited the four students she counted as friends around for supper one Saturday evening.

She greeted them warmly and ushered them into the living room. She served them ice cold butterbeer and saw that each was comfortable. She remained standing to make her announcement.

"You must be wondering why I invited you here tonight. It's because I have secret to share with all of you." She watched as their eyes grew wide with curiosity.

She continued, "I'm afraid I won't be playing Quidditch with you this year."

Ron piped in, "Oh, no! You can't do that to us! We love it when you join in. Why not? You better have a pretty darn good excuse, Jo."

She laughed and said, "I think it is a good one. I'm pregnant with twins."

Hermione squealed with delight and ran to hug her favorite teacher and friend. The boys just looked surprised.

"Let me tell you all something right now, if in the future, any of you decide to get bonded to your mate, make sure you take extra contraceptive precautions or you'll end up with a little surprise like Severus and I did," said Jo with a laugh.

Hermione was shocked. "You mean to tell me you didn't know about that?"

Jo was dumbfounded. "You mean to tell me you already know? Did everyone in the whole world know except Severus and me? I don't believe this."

"Did I hear my name?" asked Severus as he entered the living room.

"Yes you did. Hermione knows about what it means to be bonded. It seems you and I are among the few uninformed," said Jo.

Severus looked at Hermione, smiled one of his cryptic smiles, and said, "Why am I not surprised that you would know, Miss Granger. The depth of your knowledge never fails to amaze me."

Hermione blushed profusely. This was very high praise indeed. Draco looked at her with obvious pride. He knew very well that his godfather did not idly hand out complements.

"Thank you, sir. That's very kind of you," replied Hermione. "Oh, by the way, congratulations. I think you'll make a smashing father, sir."

He looked at her somewhat askance. Her last statement took him by surprise. He was not so sure he agreed with her complement. Would he be a good father? That question had been plaguing right from the beginning.

"Dobby has just set the table. I believe dinner is served," he said, making no comment on Hermione's words. On the way to the table, the boys offered their congratulations to him as well. He said thank you and nothing more.

It turned out to be a pleasant evening. Snape had shown them yet another side of himself; that of a gracious host. He did make them all feel welcome. He had become quite an expert on Quidditch, undoubtedly due to Jo's influence. He led them in a heated discussion about which team was likely to win the British Cup. Only Hermione was left out, since she wasn't really a fan. She only followed the Hogwarts matches. She was just happy to be able to sit next to Draco on the sofa and hold his hand. This was an occasion for her to be 'out' with her boyfriend and she wasn't going to miss it.

Harry watched Ron as he watched Hermione and Draco. He saw him wince when the young lovers kissed. Thankfully, they only kissed the one time. Harry was sure that Ron would have bolted if they had started snogging openly. He was sad for his best friend; he still had not accepted reality. Harry was at a loss as how to help him.

Harry had become a good observer. It was something he enjoyed – people watching. It was obvious from the way they looked at one another that Hermione and Draco were deeply in love. He realized what a good job they did of concealing their feelings on a daily basis. No one would ever guess they were in love by watching them during school hours. They appeared to be friends and nothing more.

Jolicia had said she was sharing a secret with them. Harry knew full well that this particular secret had a time limit on it. It wouldn't be that long before everyone could see that she was pregnant and then the whole truth would have to come out. Harry hoped there would be no repercussions. There was an old Muggle expressions that seemed to fit - in for a penny, in for a pound. That was just what Jo and Severus were doing – they were married and starting a family. No one could ever accuse them of taking half measures! It was almost as if they were saying 'screw everyone; we're doing what we please'. Harry wasn't sure if this was wise, however.