A/N: I did not have a single minute of sleep last night, and then I walked a long way. So apart from the nettle sting on my hands, I'm a bit sore. So this was the best I could muster for you.

Harder to Breathe

Hermione gently rocked Spiritus in her arms; it was their sixth interrupted night in a row, and Severus was being no help whatsoever. Finally his wailing stopped and she placed him back in his crib. She shivered with the cool breeze coming up her nightdress and went to shut the window, she looked down on the dark London street; the last few partygoers wandering home, the rats that scuttled along the drains, and climbed back into bed to savour the last few hours she'd have there.

But her peace was short-lived. Beside her she heard the steady rattling breath of Snape, which still sent a chill to her spine even now, but she couldn't hear the gurgled gasps of Spiritus. Only silence. She leapt up and ran to his crib dragging half the bed covers with her. Severus turned over and groaned loudly, grabbing for them in his sleep. She picked Spiritus up and listened to his chest; not a breath. Gently she shook him, but he was becoming pale, she shook him more urgently, "Spiritus! Please! Severus!" Snape just rolled over again.

She held Spiritus in one arm, shaking him to rouse him and tried to wake Severus with the other. Eventually he woke up and growled at her, "Hermione! Why have you woken me up at this godforsaken hour?"

"It's Spiritus, Severus he's not breathing!" she whimpered,

"Hermione! I thought you had sense girl! Stop shaking him!" he grabbed the baby from her and muttered an incantation under his breath. Suddenly there was a splutter, and vomit shot all over Severus. He scowled but held Spiritus tightly. "Hermione, you're Head Girl, I thought you'd know better than to shake a baby."

"How did you know I'm Head Girl? And what's it got to do with this," she whispered hysterically.

"I'm a teacher; we do get some say in those matters. But what does that matter, don't you know that shaking a baby can give it brain damage?" he cleaned his robes with a flick of his wand.

"Well he can't get much more brain damaged than he already is!"

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Ron and Harry sat in the drawing room playing Exploding Snap. Harry, having just closely lost a trick was nursing several scorched fingers, whilst Ron was watching his pack warily.

"So, do you think she'll come back and see us? I mean that passing visit wasn't exactly long. I didn't even have a chance to tell her –"

"Yes Ron, I know you're Quidditch Captain and Head Boy. But I'm sure Hermione's got other things to worry about. I don't think she's even told her parents about Snape, and she's been quite ill recently." Harry leant back on his chair,

"Yeah, well, there's a lot she hasn't told people…" Ron muttered,

"Like what? Has she told you something?" Harry asked,

"Nothing important," but Ron's face told a different story,

"What is it Ron? What's happened to her?"

"Look mate, she told me in confidence and I don't know if she'd want me to tell you," Ron twiddled his thumbs anxiously.

"Please Ron, you know 'a problem shared is and problem halved' and all that," Harry looked worried, "Please Ron, if she's in trouble we should help her."

"It's not like that. OK Harry, just promise you won't tell anyone else, and you might be shocked; I was." He leant forward and whispered in Harry's ear.

"NO! What the hell? How?"

"Well Harry, it's like this, when a man likes –"

"Shut up Ron! I mean, Snape? He's a hook-nosed –"

"– greasy-haired –"

"– git! And she…Urgh, I don't want to think about it." Harry shook images from his head, "But Ron, it'll be born in about September then, she'd be at school…"

"Look don't ask me, I'm just telling you what she told me,"

"But I never noticed…" Harry wondered for a few moments, "Well I guess she'd think of ways to disguise it."

Ron sighed and patted Harry on the back, "don't worry mate, I had it all before."

"Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me earlier!"

"Harry! Hey mate, calm down. Look, I mean, rather Snape than Malfoy."

Harry glared at him, "Yeah, sure Ron."

"I thought you were OK with them now,"

"But this is different, and Hermione doesn't look happy anymore. You saw her the other day; she was sort of drained, as if all the colour had been washed away from her, she looked really upset."

A/N: OK, OK, so it's short, but I don't think I can write anymore like this. Two kind of cliff-hangers I guess :P