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.

Chapter 44

Hermione and Draco had finally taken their relationship to the next level. She had been so scared for so many months, so afraid of sex, so afraid that she would hate it; now she realized that those fears had been foolish. She lay in her bed reliving what she and Draco had just done and found herself excited. She couldn't wait for next time! He had promised her that it would be even better, something Hermione found hard to believe.

"How could it be any better than that?" she thought.

She soon found out. It seemed that every time they got together, it was better than the last, much to Hermione's amazement. Draco was a patient teacher; she an excellent student, as always. In spite of his past experiences, Draco was an exceptional lover; always giving, always seeing to her pleasure before his own. She blossomed under his tutelage.

Hermione had wanted to share her secret with Harry. She had wanted to tell him how happy she was, how much she really did love Draco and mostly she wanted to tell how great sex really was. She had come close to telling him on many occasions but somehow each time she couldn't find the words. Although she no longer felt shy with her lover, she was embarrassed to talk about it with her best friend. She secretly wished Harry would ask her one more time if she and Draco had done 'it' yet; somehow that would be easier.

Severus and Jolicia were tremendously happy. They idea of them becoming parents had indeed grown on them. They looked forward to the birth of their children with great joy and good dose of fear. The fear factor was natural, this being a new experience for both. Severus had finally confided his worries about being suitable father material to his wife. Jo did her best to reassure him. She had told him that his own father had given him the perfect example of what not to be in a father. She was positive that he was going to be just the opposite- loving, kind, gentle and caring.

"I know you are going to master fatherhood, Sev. It won't take you very long to add it to your list of expertise," she had said with all sincerity.

Two weeks after Halloween, Jo was in the middle of teaching the seventh years their lesson when it happened. She suddenly stopped talking, mid-sentence. The class looked at her, wondering why she had stopped talking and had started smiling broadly.

Hermione thrust her hand in the air and asked, "Are you all right, Professor?"

"Huh? What Hermione?" she asked. Hermione repeated the question.

"Yes, I am fine. Actually, I am more than fine, I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking," she replied, coming back to reality. "Now, as I was saying…"

Naturally, Hermione and the others stayed behind to ask again what had happened.

"I just felt the babies move for the first time," she gushed. "It was a most amazing sensation. Wait, they're moving again!"

She opened her robes to reveal her stomach. It was the first time any of them had seen evidence that she really was pregnant. She took Hermione's hand and pressed it to her abdomen and waited.

"Oh, Jo! That is so cool! I felt it! Draco, come feel."  It didn't take long for him to feel the movement as well.  Harry and Ron held their hands on her as well but the babies were no longer co-operating.

"Sorry, mates. You'll just have to wait 'til next time," she said. "I hope they wake up for their Dad."

She was most anxious to share this new development with Severus. Jo had wanted to burst in on him during class, but held herself back. She sat waiting impatiently for him to come home. The babies had begun to move again, just as Sev came through the door.

"Quick, come here," she commanded.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried that something had gone amiss. She grabbed his hand.

"Is…is that what I think it is?"

Jo smiled and said, "Our babies have started moving. Isn't it wonderful?"

Severus was completely at a loss for words. A lump formed in his throat. He could only nod his head at Jo. He caressed the bulge and bent to kiss it. The words 'I love you' finally found their way past his lips.

Before any of them realized it, Christmas had arrived. Jolicia's parents had come for the holidays. Éliane had been aching to see her pregnant daughter and Christmas was the perfect excuse to indulge herself. It did not take much convincing on her part to get Alaisdair to agree to the trip. Although he had not said it, he was just as anxious as his wife to see his beloved Jolicia.

They had arrived on Christmas Eve day, positively laden with presents, most of which were for their grandchildren to be. They had not forgotten to include Severus and were most generous. This had touched the Potions Master deeply.

Éliane tried as hard as she might to get Severus and Jo to find out the sex of the babies. They remained steadfast in their decision to wait. 

"I know where I got my curious nature from!" Jo exclaimed. "You'll just have to wait like the rest of us, Maman."

Christmas day was lovely. The Medwins and the Snapes spent it with their extended Hogwarts family. Albus and Alaisdair picked up their friendship where they had left off after the wedding. They got along famously. Jo secretly wished that her parents would move to England so that they could be close to her and the children. She knew it was wishful thinking for she realized that her father was nowhere near ready to give up his career. When she had teased him that perhaps one day he would be the Minister of Magic, Alaisdair had laughed, but not too heartily. Jo had the sneaking suspicion that he had his eyes on the job. She hoped that his dream came true, even if it kept them apart.

Just before her parents left, Jo made her mother promise one more time that she would come for the birth. She needed that security blanket. She knew her Maman would make everything turn out all right. Nothing would keep Éliane from her daughter's side.

Jolicia's pregnancy was now quite obvious to everyone, the robes no longer hiding her ever growing stomach. When any of the students asked her about it, she told them the truth – she and Professor Snape were married and were expecting twins. The younger children didn't think too much about it; they were just plain happy for her. Some of the older students, however, did not share the same opinion. There were quite a few nasty comments made, especially about Severus. Those who voiced derogatory remarks were very, very careful not to make them within earshot of Jolicia. They still remembered vividly what she had done to Draco on her first day.

January rolled into February, winter still rearing its ugly head. Jo was into her eighth month and had been ordered by Poppy to stop teaching and rest as much as possible. Jo had experienced some cramping and a little spotting, thus causing Poppy's decision. She had also forbidden them from having sex until after the babies were born. Jo found this even harder to do than staying in bed. Some women lose interest in sex while pregnant; Jo had been the opposite, much to Severus' delight. She had been voracious all along, so this was torture!

Valentine's Day came next and the job of planning the second annual dance had fallen on the Head Boy and Girl, namely Draco and Hermione. They had done a wonderful job, with only a little help from Jo. She couldn't resist giving them a few small suggestions of her own. Jo had attended the dance with Severus, enjoying the festivities from the sidelines. She had permitted herself one slow dance with her husband. The logistics of the dance were a little tricky. Her belly had grown quite enormous so they had to dance sideways. Jo didn't care how they managed it; there was no way she was going to miss 'The Lady in Red' with Severus!