First of all:

I know some of the things I have done with this story don't make sense, and they won't for a while, but trust me on this, everything is necessary. This story will be a Hermione/Draco love story...eventually. It may take some time, but it will be worth it! Sorry for the long wait...this is not a happy chapter, but you need it if you want the story to get better. Sorry it took so long, it was really really hard to write. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 3

Weeks passed like days to Hermione. She still couldn't quite get over the fact that there was indeed a life growing inside of her, but with Dumbledore's permission she had currently taken to reading book about the procedures and effects of a witches pregnancy. There were so many things that could go wrong, even in the magical world. Day by day she worked out to figure out how she was going to not only make it threw the pregnancy, but through life, with a baby.

All the teachers had been very supportive, but none more than Professors Snape and McGonagall. Since that night when Snape had found her, he had taken an almost fatherly obsession with getting her through everything. Her private lessons with him were great, but with everything that was going on, their talks became more research time for her pregnancy. It was just another side of Severus Snape that hid from the world.

But Hermione still hadn't told Harry. Ron was being supportive, but he refused to do much until she told Harry, and that was the part of the beginning she was dreading most. To tell Harry meant it would actually happen, and would lead off on a chain of events that would drive her crazy. All in all, Hermione was terrified.

For all that her world was changing around her, Dumbledore had decided to use her as a messenger pet when sending dangerous messages to Severus and the other staff members. Messages that no one but those trusted enough could ever hear. Hermione felt honored to be doing such noble work for the Headmaster. It meant she was truly ready to be a member of the order, and with all that was going on, it would be quite a tough road, especially with a young child. But Hermione Granger never backs down from a challenge.

This is where the countless days stop flying by, and each one-day begins to be taken one at a time. This is the time when another accident happens.

Hermione was sent to give another message to Severus Snape. The third one that day. Every time she received a message she had to walk to Dumbledore's office, repeat it to him, and send another one down to the dungeons, etc. If this was what the next few weeks would be like, she wanted nothing to do with them.

Finally, Hermione got to the right passageway. What could it hurt to kill some time, and shorten the walk, by taking one of Hogwarts's infamous short cuts? It had been one Harry had shown her two years ago. Now it would get some use.

Turning to the right, instead of continuing straight that led to another flight of stairs, Hermione opened a small portrait with a password, (whee) and slid down the slide that had appeared. Once she had reached it, she changed back into a cocker spaniel, her animagus form.

That is what she had turned out to be. A loyal little lap dog, or as Hermione liked to think of it, man's best friend. Her hair turned into ears and fur, as she became a furry little golden creature. Not an English cocker spaniel, but just a cocker spaniel, who appeared to have an owner within the student body, or so everyone thought.

Upon arriving from the chute and promptly turning into a dog, she continued her walk to the potions room. However, she must not have been paying attention because before she knew it she had walked into a dead end. Upon turning around to find her way back to a corridor she knew, Hermione discovered that the path was blocked. Looking up into the faces of the people blocking her path, Hermione swallowed, knowing she was in deep dog shit.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here. A poor defenseless little puppy dog. What's your name pup?" Asked Draco Malfoy, a malicious glint in his eye. Scooping up the poor dog he read the name on the collar. "Buttercup, eh? Well Buttercup, today is your unlucky day."

"What should we do to it? No Slytherin would own a DOG. It must be a Gryffindor's pet," Zachariah Smith said. In all honesty, he was the cruelest Slytherin...well. Ever. Hermione couldn't help but try to yell at them. However, her barking only sounded like pathetic attempts at whining to them. Hermione tried to bite Draco's hand, but before she got the chance she was picked up again, this time by Zachariah. "Well pup, let's let Gryffindor know they are no match for Slytherin." And with those words, a howling Hermione was carried off by a hoard of 5 or 6 future Death Eaters, and no chance of trying to change back into a person, for 1 against 6 was bad odds, especially when the one didn't have a wand with them.

About ¾ of an hour later Dumbledore, noticed Hermione wasn't back yet with a reply. Deciding it was nothing important he continued on with his work.

A half hour after that Dumbledore, flooed Snape's private chambers to ask the potions master when he had last seen Hermione.

"I haven't seen her since your last message, a few hours ago Albus, why?"

"I sent her down about a an hour ago. You're sure she hasn't come by?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Oh dear. We must begin a search for her at once"

Hermione had had everything done to her from being thrown against a wall to being target practice, to having her tailed shaved rather brutally, to being a curse lab rat. She felt like she had no life left in her. All they would do is come at her. Never stopping. She was so hurt, so broken. But the only thing she could think about was the baby. It took all of her strength to protect it, which meant she couldn't change back.

Finally, after being kicked by every person in there, and being thrown against the wall one more time, her body collapsed. She was living on her last strand of life, and her body righted itself once again. No longer was she a defenseless puppy. Now she was an unrecognizable student, nearly two months gone with pregnancy, just barely showing on her extremely thin frame.

"Merlin!" Draco Malfoy stated as she was back in her human form.

"Shit!" Zachariah Smith exclaimed loudly. "I'm going to get Snape, and remember, we all found her like this, got it?" And with that he took of to find his Head of House, getting his story straight along the way.

Once Zachariah had left, Draco approached the classmate he had so brutally kicked only moments before. "Granger?" He asked quietly, as he got even closer to the broken body on the ground. He was met by silence. Turning to the other boys to the room, they noticed the terror in his eyes. "Go, get out of here! Work on alibis while you go. Don't let anyone see you around her." No one moved. "Go! Now." Turning back to Hermione he checked for a pulse. It was so shallow he could barely feel it, but it was there. "What have we done to you?" He whispered to her as Zachariah Smith came in, followed by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape.

"Move away, you insolent boy!" Snape cried, upon spying the body that he was crouching over. Rushing over to her, the 3 professors checked to make sure she was alive. "Go, one of you! Don't just stand around gaping! Go get Madame Pomfrey!"

"Oh Albus! What have they done?" Minerva McGonagall asked in a shaky voice.

"You don't know it was them!" Severus Snape protested against the immediate accusations against his house.

"Well who else could it have been? Down here in the drafty dungeons! Only a Slytherin would attack a dog, especially one named Buttercup!" Minerva shot back.

"Enough! Severus, we will be conducting wand searches throughout all students in all houses above 3rd year. Each head will check their student's wands. All students with dangerous and or violent spells having been cast within an hour will immediately be brought to me, is that understood?"

"Yes, Albus ,when shall we begin?" Asked Severus.

"As soon as Poppy gets here to take her off to the Hospital Wing."

As if on cue, Madame Pomfrey entered the room along with Zachariah Smith, and immediately pushed everyone out of the way, and began to heal her patient. "Uhmm's" and "I see's" were exchanged before she finally preformed a few choice charms and magicked a stretcher to take her up to the Hospital Wing, where she could get to know the problems better, and heal her as good as new. "But, I have a feeling no one will be dead or dying today." She said, with a twinkle in her eye that rivaled Albus Dumbledore's. All of the adults in the room breathed a sigh of relief, and Albus nearly smiled. This was way over the head of the two boys still in the room, however.

"Come now boys, off to the common room, we will be doing a few wand checks today." Snape scowled as he led the boys back to their common room.

"Professor?" Draco Malfoy asked, as Dumbledore was about to leave. "May I have a word with you?" He asked, praying Dumbledore would understand this was VERY important.

"Mister Malfoy, as I have a feeling this will be a very important conversation, why don't we continue this in my office?"

"Yes, sir." Draco followed the Headmaster up to his office, head bowed, dreading what was about to happen.

"Now Mister Malfoy, what was it you wanted to tell me?" Dumbledore asked him, his eye twinkling like mad.

"I...well, what I mean to say sir is...I was...there..." He stammered. This was going to be even harder than he had first thought.

"And where is there, Mister Malfoy?"

"I mean, I was in there when she was hurt so badly. We only meant for it to be a prank, we never meant to hurt anyone. Zachariah got carried away. Pretty soon we were all caught up in the moment." This was all said so fast that Dumbledore could barely make it out, but he did get the gist, and he heard the name Zachariah in there, and knew there was a lot to this story, and he was going to find out exactly what a lot was.

"Slow down, please, Mister Malfoy."

"What I mean, professor, is that it is my fault. I take responsibility for the injuries Hermione has sustained. Please punish me however you see fit. I will lend you my memories if you need them."

"I think that will be an excellent idea Mister Malfoy." So Draco and Dumbledore went down to Draco's dorm and grabbed his penseive and Draco showed Professor Dumbledore his memories from when he started out into the corridor, to when the professors had arrived. As it turned out, in his memories Draco was the least aggressive person there, followed by Zambini. Only once did he kick her (at the end) and he threw a few jinxes, but other than that, he really didn't do much but watch what was happening. "I believe I have all the information I need. Draco, please return to your common room while I come up with a suitable punishment for you. Dumbledore smiled to himself as he watched him go, when his door opened again, only to discover Severus Snape, dragging behind him every boy from the penseive except Malfoy. "Welcome gentlemen, or should I say...men...I do believe we have some business to attend to. Without further a due, I will hear each of your stories, and find suitable punishments for each of you." The twinkle finally left his eye, as he looked at the men, who had attacked a defenseless creature, only to learn it was a defenseless person, who was pregnant with a bastard child of two months.