Alright, the awaited chapter is here, I hope everyone enjoys! I own none of the characters, just the plot.
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After about another fifteen minutes of the food fight, Albus ended it. Snape was covered in food and he was furious. Albus smiled at him, and nodded. Snape walked over to see what the old man was up to this time.
"Albus, who started this childish behavior?" Snape asked, angry.
"I think our culprit is coming over right now, Severus," Albus said with a twinkle in his eye.
Snape looked over to see Hermione walking over with Harry, Ron and Draco. By the smirk on Hermione's face, Snape knew it was her. He couldn't help noticing the honey color of her eyes as they twinkled in happiness, or the welt that was starting to form under her left eye.
"Hello, Sevvy!" Hermione said and Snape scowled.
"Miss Granger," Snape sneered.
Albus just sat by watching with that twinkle in his eye again. Hermione noticed this but didn't bring it up she didn't think anything of it. She just thought of it as the normal Headmaster. He just smiled at Hermione and turned to Snape, "Severus, I believe you have this under control?"
"Yes, Albus," Snape said as he was scowling at Hermione and nodding at the headmaster.
Albus nodded and walked away leaving Snape, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Draco standing together. They watched the headmaster walk, each with their own sneer. Once the headmaster was out of view, Snape took his anger out on them.
"Miss Granger," Snape snapped, looking at Hermione.
"Yes, Sevvy?" Hermione cooed.
"Miss Granger, would you PLEASE stop calling me that BLOODY name?" Snape sneered.
"No problem, Sev." Hermione answered.
Snape walked up to her and he was furious. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at Hermione. "Miss Granger, I've about had it with you!"
Harry and Draco stepped in front of Hermione and turned to Snape, "Uh, sir? Please calm down before you do something DEADLY." Draco said, stressing the word 'deadly'.
"Miss Granger, you clean this up with NO MAGIC! But, due to certain circumstances you may have some help," Snape said, stepping away from Hermione.
"Yes, Professor," Hermione said, knowing that Snape's anger was horrible and that he was barely holding it in, as it was. She didn't want to take her chances and have him do something dumb to harm her, or her child.
Snape started walking away and then suddenly turned back around. "Miss Granger, no heavy objects, nothing over ten pounds. Is that clear?" She nodded, and he turned back around and stormed out of the hall.
"'Mione? What circumstances?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione curiously.
Draco, Harry and Hermione shared a look. "We'll tell you later, OK?" Hermione said and Ron nodded.
About fifteen minutes later there was a total of 12 people cleaning the Great Hall. Ginny and Draco were cleaning the Slytherin table off, throwing everything in one of the trashcans they conjured up at the ends of each table. The Patil sisters were cleaning the Ravenclaw table. Dean and Seamus were cleaning the Hufflepuff table. Lavender, with the help of Neville and Blaise Zabini, cleaned the Gryffindor table. Ron, Hermione and Harry were cleaning the head table, and the walls.
Ron and Harry were the ones doing most of the work, since Hermione couldn't pick up half of the objects on the table. Hermione would wipe the table down after everyone cleaned the bigger parts of the food off, and moved the plates and goblets to sit in a pile by a wall. Hermione then finished off by mopping the floor, while everyone else started talking and sitting on the now clean tables.
Draco was talking to Ginny when Hermione saw her opportunity. She ran over to Draco and before anyone could warn him, Hermione jumped on his back. Draco staggered a couple of steps but was able to keep them steady. Since Draco was on the quidditch team for six years, he was built and could hold her weight.
"Tink, honey, what the bloody hell were you thinking? What if I were to drop you? You don't want to harm the- aargh!" Draco said, when Hermione covered his mouth before he could say what she knew he would say.
"I'm sorry Drakey. I wasn't thinking about that," Hermione said, then looked at Ginny. "Hey, Gin! I haven't seen you lately. Where've you been?"
"Hey, 'Mione," Ginny said. "I've just been busy with some school stuff, sorry." Ginny said this as a lie, she didn't want Hermione to know the truth. She had been avoiding her. She didn't like the fact that Hermione was Draco's best friend and was dating Harry. Her brother adored her and as Ron's sister she felt like everyone preferred Hermione over her.
Draco knew something was wrong, but he would talk to her later about it. "Tink, I think were done!"
Hermione looked around and noticed that they indeed were done. Everyone else seemed to have noticed them talking and walked over to where they were standing, Hermione still on Draco's back.
"'Mione," Ron said, "can you tell me now?"
Hermione looked at Harry and he nodded. She knew they would have to tell him, but she wouldn't tell him in front of everyone. "Yes, Ron. But not here, let's go somewhere more private. Thanks everyone for helping me!" Hermione said, hopping off Draco's back and onto Harry's.
"Where to, Herm?" Harry asked, holding Hermione's legs under her knees, to keep her on his back.
"Same place as last time?" Hermione said, looking at Draco.
"Alright, I'll see you there," Draco said, giving Ginny a kiss and walking off.
Hermione hopped off Harry's back and gave everyone a hug and thanked them. "I'll see you guys later," she said, walking off with Harry and Ron.
They were walking down the hall when Ron needed to go get his wand that he left in the Great Hall. So Harry and Hermione said to meet them in the Potions classroom. As soon as Ron was gone Hermione jumped on Harry with her arms around his neck and started kissing him. As it got more heated she wrapped her legs around his waist and could feel him ready.
"Love," Harry whispered, "as much as I love you in this position, we need to go tell Ron something very important. Tonight, I promise." He then kissed her on the nose and she jumped down.
"Alright, Harry. Let's go." Hermione said walking towards the Potion's classroom.
As soon as Hermione walked in she noticed Draco sitting on one of the potion's tables. She then noticed Snape's office door open.
"Is he?" Hermione asked, looking at Draco, and then to the office door.
"Yes, same thing as last time. He said that Weasley's temper is worse than Potter's." Draco said.
Hermione couldn't do anything but agree with that. It was true, Ron's temper was worse than Harry's and Hermione couldn't deny it.
About five minutes later Ron walked in and was startled to see Draco sitting there still. –I didn't know he'd be staying.- Ron thought.
"Well, guys, what do you need to tell me?" Ron asked sitting on a table.
"Well Ron you know-"
"How me and Hermione-"
"Have been dating for almost a year now-"
"Right?" Harry finished.
"Yeah, so?" Ron asked confused.
"Well, Ron, we've been sleeping together since October-" Harry started.
"YOU WHAT?!?" Ron screamed.
"Ron! We're not done," Hermione said, looking down nervously. "I'm...I'm..." she said, but she couldn't finish say it, Ron was already furious.
"What Hermione?" Ron snapped.
"I'm pregnant!" Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears.
"No! No way! Oh Merlin! Hermione, damnit! I never thought you'd act so whorish!"
"Ron! I'm not a whore!" Hermione said, struggling not to cry.
"Yes, you are!" Ron screamed, not even caring she was crying now. "And, YOU!" Ron said, turning on Harry. "How could you do this? Get her pregnant? Why?"
"You think I wanted to? Ron, grow up!" Harry said.
By this time Hermione was crying her eyes out and Draco was comforting her. Snape, on the other hand, was pacing in his office waiting for Ron to do something stupid.
Snape heard Ron call Hermione a whore, and he knew that Ron would get out of control. –Damn Weasley temper! Why do I care about her? It's because she's pregnant, it has to be!- He was trying to convince himself. He had noticed that this year she had grown up, and he did grow fond of her, but every time he saw her, she was with Potter and he couldn't stand him.
"Ron! Watch your language! You're making her cry even more!" Harry screamed.
"Oh well!" Ron said, getting in Harry's face and pushed him, causing Harry to push him back. Ron was pushed back so hard that it made him knock over a chair.
When Snape heard the chair he put his drinking mug down and walked out to see Ron about to attack Harry. He noticed Draco taking care of Hermione.
"Mr. Weasley! I suggest you think about what happened today, and fifty points from Gryffindor!" Snape said looking at Ron.
"Professor," Ron sneered, glaring at him.
"Mr. Weasley, I suggest you leave, NOW, before you lose more points and gain a week of detention." Snape said and Ron stalked out of the room.
"Potter, I suggest you leave. Miss Granger will talk to you later, I need to speak to her," Snape said, glaring at Harry, daring him to not listen.
Harry nodded and walked over to Hermione and whispered "I'm sorry" to her and left.
"Draco, leave." Snape said.
"You going to be OK, Tink?" He waited for her to nod and when he saw the OK, he left.
Snape looked at Hermione, who by this time was sitting on a table hugging her knees to her chest. He walked over to his desk and pulled out a potion vial, and handed it to her.
"Miss Granger, this is helping your pregnancy and it helps calm you down. You shouldn't need it this much, but with your knucklehead friends you have a lot of stress right now. For the next week take a mouthful each morning, and you should be ok."
"Yes, Sevvy." Hermione mumbled.
"Merlin, Miss Granger! You're crying your eyes out and you're still calling me that bloody name!"
"Sorry, Se-sir," She said, correcting herself.
Snape was watching her closely. He knew that her fight with Ron was hitting her hard. He saw something move onto her face, it was a sense of blankness, she was trying to block everything out right now. He was too familiar with it and didn't like to see her like this, but he couldn't do anything. He was her horrible Potions Professor, and he thought she hated him. He felt something lurch in the pit of his stomach when he thought about this, and it was a sense of loss. Something he hadn't felt since school. –She's a girl, Severus! A Gryffindor! Get over yourself!- He told himself.
"Miss Granger, leave, NOW!" He snapped, and she left. Then Snape went back to drinking before his class of first years came.
When Hermione got to her Head Girl rooms, which was connected to the Gryffindor common room, Harry was pacing her room, waiting for her. When he saw her come in he walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed the top of her head.
"You OK, love?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, where's Ron?" Hermione asked, snuggling into Harry's arms.
"I don't know. He wasn't here when I got back, and no one has seen him."
"Probably flying," Hermione said, looking at the clock. "Harry, it's six, are you hungry?"
"Yeah, we can eat here or head down to the Great Hall, what would you like?"
"Let's go down the Great Hall, and then I have Astronomy at eight, OK?" Hermione asked.
"That's fine with me," Harry said, kissing her head, "what you planning to do to Snape?"
Hermione just smiled, "Nothing...much."
She walked out and she entered the Great Hall holding Harry's hand with an evil smirk on her face. Everyone was waiting to see what she planned to do.
Snape saw her walked in and he noticed the smirk on her face. –Guess shes over Weasley. Damnit! What the bloody hell is she going to do?!?-
Hermione calmly walked up to the headmaster and said, "Sir, I would like to master in potions." Harry's jaw just dropped.
"Very well, Miss Granger, Severus?" Albus said, looking at Snape. "Would you like to apprentice Miss Granger?"
Snape saw the twinkle in his eye and he cursed to himself. "No." Snape ground out and continued eating.
Albus turned to Hermione, "Well, Miss Granger, I assume you are determined?" Hermione nodded. "Very well, carry on." The twinkle was back.
"Yes, sir! Don't you worry, I'll get it!" Hermione said and Albus smiled.
"Oh, Miss Granger, your potion has been copy righted and you will receive 750,000 galleons for it and 25 every time a potion is sold. You will also receive 250,000 galleons for your charm. I assume you'll never be needing money." Albus said.
Hermione smiled, "Thank you, sir! I'm glad it was so quick."
"It will be credited to your account once you graduate. Good night, Miss Granger." Albus said, filling up his plate.
"Thank you, good night Professor." Hermione said walking away. –Damn Snape for not accepting me!- Hermione thought. She then smiled and walked towards Snape and everyone stopped doing what they were doing.
-Oh shit!- Snape thought as Hermione walked towards him. –What is she doing to do?-
Hermione stopped in front of Snape. "Sevvy, I WILL get the apprentice ship. I'll harass you until you accept!"
"Miss Granger, nothing you do can make me accept you, you ARE irritating!" Snape spat.
"As you wish Sevvy!" Hermione said and she ran around the table and hugged him. "Professor Dumbledore said you needed a hug! I'm to let you know that you are loved!" She said, squeezing him harder and everyone started laughing.
"Miss Granger, get off me!" Snape said pushing her away.
Hermione just smiled. "You're special too, Sevvy!" She then walked away as Snape stormed out of the Great Hall.
Hermione walked over to the Slytherin table and sat next to Draco, Harry plopping next to Hermione. Draco just sat there staring at her. All three than looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw Ron glaring at them.
"Aren't you worried he'll tell someone, Tink?" Draco asked, eating his mashed potatoes.
"Nope, Ron won't say a work," Hermione said, piling a mound of mashed potatoes on her plate.
"How do you know, Tink?"
"He's too scared of me," Hermione said in between bites, "and scared Harry will kick his sorry ass."
"Herm, aren't you going to eat something else? Like corn or chicken?" Harry asked, looking at her plate full of mashed potatoes.
"No." Hermione said, eating another mouth full.
"'Mione, you'll get sick!" Harry said looked to Draco for help, who just shook his head.
"No, I won't."
"'Mione, eat something else!"
"No!"
"Hermione!"
"No!" Hermione screamed, slamming the plate in his face, and walked away.
"Damnit, I thought mood swings came later!" Harry said, looking at Draco, who was snickering.
"Depends on the girl, mate," Draco said, smiling.
Harry looked over at the Gryffindor table to see Ron laughing. Harry wiped the potatoes off his face and stormed out of the hall, not noticing Ron following him.
"Harry!" Ron screamed once he found Harry walking in the hallway towards Gryffindor tower.
Harry turned around, "What is it, Ron?"
"I'm sorry, mate, about earlier."
"Alright, but you owe that apology to Hermione. You DID call her a whore!" Harry spat at him.
"I know. Care to help me find her?" Ron asked, catching up with Harry.
They headed to the Gryffindor common room and didn't find her, or her stuff. They then checked her head girl's room but didn't find her there either. They then headed outside where they found her standing by the lake.
"Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Hey, love. I'm just watching the sunset," she answered him, not turning around.
"Oh, and what are you thinking about?" Harry asked, knowing she was thinking about something important.
"Nothing, love, nothing," Hermione said. She didn't want to tell him what she was really thinking. It basically had to do with their relationship and how much she loved him, wishing he could just return that love. She knew it was a lost hope, but she could still dream.
Harry knew she was lying, but he let it go. He knew she would tell him in time. He walked up and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her belly. Her hands reached down and wrapped themselves around his hands, as her tears silently ran down her cheeks.
"Hate to ruin this party but I-" Ron started to say.
"Ron? What do you want? Come to insult me some more?" She spat.
"'Mione, I'm sorry! I'm dumb and I over reacted! You are like my sister, my family, of course I'm going to over react! I'm sorry, please accept my apology!" Ron said, pleadingly.
Hermione ran over and wrapped Ron in a hug, crying. "Oh, Ron, I love you!" She then cuddled into his embrace and Ron held her while she cried. She cried for the fallen love between her and Harry, knowing it would never be there, and she cried for the happiness with having Ron as her friend. Knowing someone loved her, needed her, and cared for her. She could never replace Ron, he was her best friend, her brother.
Ron whispered in her ear, "Think with your heart." Hermione's jaw dropped and she blushed, he knew how she felt.
Hermione than looked at the sun and noticed the sun had set, indicating it was either past eight, or near eight. "Oh, Merlin, I'm late for class! Harry! Ron! Time please!"
"Eight fifteen," Ron said.
"Oh, Merlin!" She cried and ran off towards the astronomy tower.
Ten minutes later she stopped outside the classroom door and tried to fix herself. If someone looked at her they could tell she practically ran the whole castle, just to get to class, even if she was twenty-five minutes late. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes were twisted. She fixed herself up as best she could, and walked in.
Bill Weasley was standing at the front of the room with a map of constellations on it, and looked up when he heard the door open. He smiled at her appearance, knowing where she'd been, he had seen her with Ron and Harry. He didn't plan on taking points off, or giving her detention, he loved the girl, he just wanted to hear her excuse.
"Miss Granger, care to tell me where you were?" Bill said, smiling at Hermione, who knew she wasn't in trouble once she saw him smile.
"Well, Professor, you know those nasty Gryffindors'. They cornered me to ask me questions about that nasty kid Potter. Why am I harassed? It's not like I'm his girlfriend or something, right?" Hermione said, smiling at Bill, everyone quietly snickering.
"Of course not, Miss Granger, I'll see you after class." Bill said, smirking at her.
Hermione sat down and pulled out her book and notebook. When she went to New York this summer with her parents, Harry, Ron and Draco, she moved from parchment to notebooks. She found them much more useable, and even started using ball point pens. Most of her professor's didn't care, except one. Snape. All's he did was, complain about getting notebook paper for her homework, and using it to take notes. He tried to take it up with the headmaster but he told him it was nonsense. Hermione just smiled when Albus told her what happened.
Halfway through the class, or fifteen minutes after Hermione showed up, Snape walked in.
"Professor Weasley, may I have a word with Miss Granger?" Snape asked, looking at Hermione.
"Yes, Professor Snape, Hermione?" Bill said, looking at Hermione, nodding her leave.
"My faithful hero! You have come to save me!" Hermione said, standing up with her hand over her heart.
"I would have asked you to let down you hair, but then I thought better. I'd rather climb the steps than touch that frizz ball!" Snape snapped back, not caring that the other students were laughing.
Hermione didn't answer but just walked over to Snape, quietly walking around him, clearly looking for something. Everyone was watching her, including Bill, waiting for her next move.
"Miss Granger, what on earth on you doing?" Snape snapped.
"I was looking for the white horse you rode in on, but I then discovered it was only a jackass," She answered, sweetly.
"Miss Granger, outside, NOW!" Snape snapped, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out into the hallway.
"Miss Granger, you are to come to the Potion's classroom tonight, you will be cleaning up a mess I have made by trying to create a new potion. I want you to come right after this class, do I make myself clear?" Snape said, looking at Hermione.
"Sir, Bill wanted to talk to me. May I come after I have talked to him?" Hermione said, looking at him in the eye.
"Very well, I shall see you tonight," Snape said, walking off.
Hermione walked back in and sat back down, everyone looking at her, silently congratulating her on truly pissing the potion's Professor off. After another forty-five minutes of class the bell finally rang and Hermione walked up to Bill's desk.
"Hermione, you are truly playing with fire, love." Bill said, giving Hermione a hug.
"I know, Bill, but it is so entertaining. What did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione said, sitting on top of Bill's desk.
"I know where you were before you came, to class, I assume you and Ron made up?" Bill asked.
"Yes, Bill, we did. He is truly like my brother." Hermione said, looking out the window.
"What were you three fighting about? Or should I say four? I saw Draco involved in it too."
"Well, we told Ron something about me, and he flipped."
"What did you tell him?" Bill asked, hoping she'd tell him.
"Well," She said, looking around nervously, not sure weather she should tell him or not.
"Love, you can trust me!" Bill said.
"I'm pregnant, Bill." She said, looking down.
"Oh, love, what did Harry say? Are you two going to get married?" Bill asked, trying to show disappointment if they indeed did get married.
"No, Harry doesn't love me, and I'm not about to make his life miserable. I think I'm just going to dump him this weekend or something."
"Well, Hermione, if you do, let me know. I'll take you out this weekend if you'd like? Cheer you up a bit?" Bill asked, hopefully.
"Sure, Bill, thank you." Hermione said.
"What did Prince Charming want that he had to interrupt my class?"
"Oh, bloody hell, I have to get to the potions classroom, I need to clean up a mess the damn slob made."
"Alright, bye, Hermione," Bill said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and she left.
Hermione walked down the dungeons and found Snape no where in the classroom or his office, so she just started to clean the potions classroom and the mess he created that went from one side of the room to the other. After about two hours of scrubbing tables and cleaning cauldrons she was finally down. She got a good idea in mind and decided to leave Snape a little gift in his room.
She took out her wand and transfigured every chair into soft overstuffed arm chairs, and the tables into lovely oak tables, with Griffins carved into the corners. She than changed the chairs into a deep Red and charmed the table to be a deep golden color. She than changed his chair into a tall backed chair, and planted a lovely smiley face on the back of it. On the wall she put the words "Behind every Lion's paw there is a Snake quivering". She made sure that everyone could see these words.
The last thing she did was charmed the walls to be a soft brown with a deep red trim. The cabinets were charmed to be a dark wood and a Griffin with a snake in its mouth was planted on the edge of his desk. Hermione smirked, and completed the room with a spell that wouldn't recognize Snape's spells to try and rid the room of its new décor.
When Hermione was happy with herself she left to go to bed, it was midnight by now, and she was tired. She walked into her room fifteen minutes later and saw Harry in her bed. She crawled into the bed and Harry stirred, curling his arm around her waist, slowly kissing her neck. Hermione just smiled and went to sleep, waiting for the next potions class. She would avoid Snape for the next three days, and see how he kept up with his new classroom.
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Please read and review! I would like to thank anyone who reviewed last time, and I'm sorry this took so long. I got back from vacation, had tons of work and then I had surgery so I've been slugging around for the last few days, doing nothing. Heh, anyway thanks all and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, thanks for my beta, Kate, for helping with my mistakes! :) Next chapter, I hope, will be out soon. I have much free time now that I stopped work due to my eye surgery.