Chapter 13: Forbidden Lives

As the couple returned Sybil and Dumbledore turned anxious eyes.

"How did it go," Albus asked, offering seats to the two.

Snape was silent for quite sometime before he slowly turned his eyes to the headmaster. "Albus," he said quietly, "I think… I think we may need some help."

Hermione turned frightened eyes on the man she loved, shaking her head at him. Without having to be asked Dumbledore stood and excused himself, dragging Sybil by her arm.

As the door shut Snape turned to Hermione. "Did you know?" His words were sharp, unkind even and they cut her.

"Of course not." After all how could she. "It… I… you figured it out before I did."

He tried to be angry, cut, even firm, but it all drained out of him at the prospect that now came into view.

"What are we going to do?" He sighed. Hermione curled up in the big arm chair, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "I mean, it's only two months before I graduate. I can easily hide it until then. But I'll be teaching come next year… I can't hide it then."

"Of course you can," Severus whispered falling to his knees before her. "I can brew you a potion…"

"Severus, you know how badly potions can mess up a pregnancy…."

"I'll make it work. I can do it I know I can…." Suddenly the disdain he'd held for her came flooding back. Why was this his concern? Who said he wanted to be a father to this child? "Maybe you shouldn't have it at all."

Hermione's head shot up. "What?"

"This isn't my problem, this could be anyone's child. Besides you can't be more than a week along. It would be easy to just get rid of it, painless even." A resounding smack stopped him in his tracks. He blinked several times as Hermione, red faced and steaming, spoke.

"How could you even suggest such a thing? Never mind that you could call it murder, or at least self-mutilation. But how, after knowing his name, after seeing his face, after drinking his blood, and hearing him call you father, how could you possibly give him up?" tears flowed freely now as she quickly turned her head to hide them.

"I… I didn't think of that…" his voice was tight and he swallowed hard to get it working again. "Hansel," Severus whispered, his hand moving to rest on Hermione's abdomen. "His name is Hansel."

She turned to him, lashes wet with tears. "What are we going to do?"

"I'll make a potion, to hide it until he's born if you like. And then, once we're settled into our positions, we can announce it."

Marriage was just not something he was ready for, and she probably wasn't either. "So," Hermione said at last, "we'll ask the headmaster to keep our secret, maybe even help you with the potion. I'll up my lessons in the past so I can go into the DADA position ready…"

"Don't work yourself too hard miss know it all," Snape said affectionately.

"Whatever you say, Professor," she replied kissing him lightly on the lips.

"How long until the end of classes?" He whispered against her lips.

"Six weeks," she replied dreamily.

"Well then, you have that long to convince me." He didn't say what and she didn't ask. Just then the Headmaster entered.

"So, have we come to a conclusion about the child?" He asked causally.

Snape sat back on his chair but continued to hold Hermione's hand. "I should have known…" he drawled.

"Yes, Severus, you should have. So what are we doing?" Dumbledore replied jovially.

"Well I plan on finding a potion to hide her condition for as long as possible," Severus replied. "I was hoping for… assistance in that matter."

Dumbledore nodded, "of course, of course. However, I'm afraid I am going to have to forbid you from seeing one another."

Disclaimers: I don't own them, I don't take credit for them, and I make no money off of them.

A/N

Well watch your step. Sorry about that, construction you know;) The next few chapters are planned to encompass the next few months just to push the story along to the major conflicts.