Chapter 3: Staff Meeting

Albus Dumbledore stared sadly out his window as he waited for the rest of the staff to arrive. He had talked to both Poppy and to Hermione and Draco. At least the boy was talking again, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances, and he seemed genuine in his desire to support Hermione through this. That, at least, was a relief.

A cough behind him alerted him to someone else's presence. He turned from watching the sunset to find Minerva and Severus, along with a few of the rest of the staff waiting for him. He moved to sit down and they all filed quietly to their seats. No one had a clue as to the nature of this meeting, but they all knew it had to be something important. Albus never called these impromptu meetings lightly.

When everyone had arrived and had taken their seats, Albus stood and turned a serious eye to all of the professors. Suddenly he felt very old indeed. "I'm sure most of you have heard that Ms. Granger was taken to the hospital wing earlier today. I have been assured by both Poppy and Ms. Granger that she is doing much better now."

Relief washed over many of their faces. Albus inwardly winced, knowing that relief would be short-lived given what he knew he had to say next.

"However, Ms. Granger has asked me to inform the staff as to the nature of her condition, as it may affect some of her coursework in the future."

The worry was back again. Finally Minerva was able to voice many of their thoughts. "What condition, Albus?"

He paused. "Ms. Granger is pregnant."

This was met with stunned silence. Even Severus looked shocked.

Albus sighed and continued. "She assures me she will be able to continue in her role as Head Girl and requests that this matter not be brought to the attention of the student body until absolutely necessary. If she must skip the practical portions of her classes, it will be noted as being for medical reasons and nothing more."

More silence.

Finally Severus spoke up, though he was lacking his usual sneer. "Does she know who the father is?"

Albus nodded. "She does indeed. It's Draco Malfoy."

Several people visibly started at this. Expressions ranged from shock to incredulity and some even to fear.

"Does he know about this?" Severus asked now.

"Yes. He's even begun speaking again and seems genuine in his desire to help Ms. Granger through this. Both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley know as well and indicated that same desire, though I must admit they seemed a little stunned by it all. All of them did, in fact."

The room was quiet for a moment as everyone processed the news.

"When is she due?" Minerva asked softly, concern for her student still evident.

"She's only a month along yet, so not until the end of June."

More nods followed and everyone finally seemed to run out of questions. Hagrid blew his nose on his gigantic handkerchief and tears leaked down his face, but other than that, the room was silent.

Albus felt the need to add one last thing and graced them all with a smile. "Ms. Granger will need all the support she can get in this, as will Mr. Malfoy. So congratulate them. Be happy for them. Let them know they're not alone in this. Maybe this child will be just the thing to give Mr. Malfoy a new outlook on life."

The all nodded, their hearts considerably lighter, and headed off to tailor their lesson plans to Hermione's specific needs. Minerva and Severus, however, made their way to the Head dormitories. They wanted a word or two with the parents-to-be.


Draco and Hermione sat in their common room, Draco idly spinning a quill in his hands and staring at the floor in thought and Hermione pouring over a book called What to Expect When You're Expecting: Witch's Edition. She had found it in the library along with half a dozen similar ones, all of which were currently piled up on the end table next to her.

Dobby arrived then with their supper, both of them having opted to eat there instead of going down to the Great Hall. The smell of the broiled fish, however, forced Hermione to make a run for the bathroom. Draco stood for a moment in indecision as the sounds of vomiting filtered out to the common room. Finally he just set his jaw in determination and walked in after her.

She was seated on the floor with her head over the toilet, a small groan escaping her lips. Draco tentatively reached forward and touched her back, causing her to jump. "Oh Draco, you scared me."

He looked contrite and removed his hand. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. This has been happening a lot this past week or so." She smiled slightly and laughed at herself. "And here I thought I was just catching the flu or something."

Draco laughed too, though he had no idea what the flu was, but stopped when he saw the look Hermione was giving him. "What?"

She smiled again. "You should laugh more often. It's nice."

He blushed slightly and his eyes darted to the floor. He wasn't used to receiving compliments like that. He coughed and changed the subject. "Feel better yet?"

She nodded and moved to get up. Draco offered her a hand and she took it, pulling herself up. "Thanks."

Draco moved to the bathroom door, but Hermione stopped him. "Wait. Did Dobby get rid of that fish yet?"

He nodded. "He vanished it just after you left."

"Oh good." She followed him back out to the common room to find Dobby banging his head on the coffee table. "Dobby, stop!"

The house elf did as he was commanded, though he was looking a little cross-eyed from his self-induced punishment.

"Dobby, what is it?" Hermione asked. "What's wrong?"

Tears leaked out of the giant green eyes. "Dobby had to, Miss. Dobby made The Great Harry Potter's friend sick so he had to punish himself. Dobby had to, Miss."

Hermione sighed in annoyance. She had really thought they were past all this. "Dobby, listen to me. You didn't make me sick. I'm just a little sensitive to certain smells right now. It's not your fault and I don't want you punishing yourself for it again. Is that understood?"

Dobby nodded and wiped his eyes on his tea cozy. "Can Dobby get anything else for you, Miss?"

"Yes, actually. Some crackers and tea would be lovely." She turned to Draco. "Did you want anything?"

He eyed her warily. "I don't want to get anything that'll make you sick again."

She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. As long as it's not fish or beets I should be fine."

He nodded then told Dobby what he wanted. The house elf nodded enthusiastically and disappeared, reappearing seconds later with their food.

The two teens settled back onto the couch and were just about to eat when there was a knock at the door. Hermione let out an annoyed sigh. "Can't we just ignore it?"

Draco shook his head and stood. "I'll get it."

Standing on the other side of the portrait were their two Heads of Houses. His eyes widened slightly then he moved back to let them in. The portrait swung closed behind them and he gestured silently over to the chairs situated across from the couch.

"Hello, Professors." Hermione said in greeting. "I take it Professor Dumbledore told you."

They nodded and sat down, Draco taking his seat once again on the couch beside Hermione. Just this act alone reassured the professors that he had changed, hopefully for the better.

After a few moments of silence Professor McGonagall spoke up. "How are you feeling, Ms. Granger?"

"I'm all right, Professor. Some morning sickness and a weird sensitivity to some smells right now, but I'm told that's to be expected." She gestured to the pile of books next to her, causing McGonagall to smile slightly. Leave it to Hermione to clear out all of the library's books on the subject.

"And what about you, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Snape asked, pinning his student down with his gaze. "What are your intentions in this situation?"

Draco looked at him calmly, then softly replied, "I've already told Hermione I'm going to help her through this, sir, and that's what I plan to do. This was my mistake too and I'm not just going to walk away from it."

Both the professors nodded and again noted the change in him. They had found out all they needed to know so they stood and said their goodbyes. Draco walked them to the door and right before they reached it, they turned back.

"If you need anything don't hesitate to come to us," Professor McGonagall told them both.

Snape nodded in agreement.

"We won't," Draco replied. "Thank you, Professors."


a/n: and there we have chapter three! fear not, faithful readers! more to come soonish with a bunch of fluffies and more drama type stuff! love you all! bbyes!

MenenTesa