Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to take them out of the box and play with them.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm feeling the love. Keep sending them. And my section breaks aren't working for some weird reason, so please just deal with my makeshift breaks.
xmaverickf14x: I don't like making you suffer; I just like to keep my readers. Sorry for the cliffhangers. I'll do my best to avoid them in the future.
Emily: Thanks for all the great comments. I like hearing that I write well. That said, it'd be really easy for me to start writing them OOC, but it's way more interesting to not do that, and a lot more challenging.
(insert break here)
"Miss Granger, Severus, this is a pleasant surprise. What brings the two of you here?" the Headmaster asked.
The two people in question looked apprehensively between themselves and the headmaster. Finally, after much silent arguing between them, Snape nodded to Hermione to explain and she acquiesced. She sat down before nervously beginning. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, this is going to be a bit of a surprise. There's no way around it so I'll just have to tell you as it is." Hermione mustered all her Gryffindor courage. "I'm, well, Professor Dumbledore, I'm pregnant," she finished quietly while desperately trying to avoid the look of disappointment she was sure to receive.
Dumbledore was indeed shocked by the declaration. Hogwarts' most promising student in years, if not ever, had just told him she was pregnant. "Miss Granger, how did this happen?" he attempted to ask calmly despite his disbelief.
"It was Lucius Malfoy, Albus," Snape responded to the question. The Headmaster gave him a quizzical look. Nothing ever seemed to have a simple explanation. "Although, I admit, I am the one to blame." That certainly was no small admittance from Snape. " I've done some research on the matter. It seems he managed a spell that renders the victims unable to prevent themselves from satisfying their lust. Unfortunately, Miss Granger and I were the victims. As a result," Snape's voice lowered to a deathly quiet tone as he finished, "she is with child."
Dumbledore was beginning to understand. Without bothering to hide his concern, he inquired, "Was this preventable in any way, Severus?"
"I'm unable to say," Snape replied looking at Hermione. "I had the ability to send her away before we satisfied our lust, but it is quite possible we would have found . . . others."
Hermione looked from the headmaster, whose feelings about the matter she had yet to decipher, and Snape. He betrayed no emotion one way or the other since coming to see Dumbledore. Her interest was peaked at the mention of others being involved. "Do you mean we could have . . ." She did not want to think about what she could have committed.
"Could have what, Miss Granger?" Snape inquired, his eyes darkening at what she was about to say.
". . . raped someone?" Hermione shuddered at the thought of forcing herself on an unwilling participant. She noticed Snape's brief betrayal of emotion at the mention of it, as well. He shifted slightly before turning his gaze to the fire. Dumbledore's countenance blanched at the mention of it.
"It is quite possible," Snape responded to the question. "Either that or we would have gone mad."
It was Dumbledore's turn to voice a question. What he inquired gained the attention of both parties sitting opposite him. "Is it possible you could have sought out each other?"
"It is plausible, Albus, but improbable. This was lust devoid of reason. Chances are we would have taken the first plausible person who crossed our respective paths, willing or otherwise." Hermione saddened again at the prospect.
"I understand, Severus. How are you in all this, Miss Granger?"
"I don't really know," she responded honestly. "I'm confused, a bit shocked, disappointed, and strangely content all at the same time." Snape raised an eyebrow at the part of her being content. No one could be content with him. He was supposed to be a bastard after all. Women did not willingly seek his company so, as a general rule, he did not willingly seek their company.
"And you, Severus?"
Snape pulled himself from his reverie to respond with a snort. "I'm certainly not 'content' with the situation, Albus. I hadn't exactly planned on having to spend my retirement from espionage dealing with a student who, by some ill stroke of fate, I have impregnated!" He noticed the glare Hermione was shooting his direction, but it was of no importance. He spoke the truth, for good or bad. At the moment his anger was interfering with any part of him that cared.
Dumbledore looked between the pair. "Very well then. At least you've been honest, Severus. However, I'm sorry to tell you that the options in the situation are few at the moment. As witches are not allowed to use the muggle option of abortion, especially now that our numbers have dwindled since the end of the war, you will be required to carry it to term, Miss Granger."
Hermione sadly responded, "I'm aware, sir. I had planned to have the child anyway.
"Very well. How you decide to proceed in this matter is between the two of you. Keep in mind that all things tend to become known here at Hogwarts. While your secret is safe with me, I cannot guarantee it will not become known. There is also the added consideration that your pregnancy will be quite obvious by the time you graduate, Miss Granger. We may be able to attribute it somewhere else for a short time, but that in itself, I can assure you, would not be safe. However, I can only attempt to influence you so much. This is your decision to be made, and not mine." Dumbledore gave Hermione what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He knew the scope of the decision she was forced to make. Her whole future was resting upon this decision.
Hermione turned to look at Snape. "Don't look at me like that! It's your decision. I won't go back on my word. I made a promise. I'm not so shallow as to leave you on your own with my child! So tell me, how do you wish to proceed, Miss Granger?" he inquired a bit harshly.
She looked at her feet, thinking. Hermione had played the scenario in her head hundreds of times since that fateful night. Each time she came to the same conclusion. Telling him, however, was a bit different, especially when he was going to be rude about it. She once again mustered her Gryffindor courage. "Professor Snape, I would appreciate it if you would at least pretend to be nice about this. You're just as much at fault as I am. Also, you're not the one who's actually going to give birth to the child someday. That said, and given the delicacy of this matter, I think it's best if we got married." There, she had said it and he was now eyeing her strangely. If either had bothered to glance at the headmaster after Hermione's announcement, they would have noticed a mischievous twinkle present. However, as it was, both professor and student were too busy mulling over the prospect of marrying the other.
"I think it's best if we got married," kept running through Snape's head. Like the pregnancy, it was not a shock or disappointment, just a complication. Severus Snape was a very private man and the thought of marriage frightened him to say the least. Hermione Granger was his student nonetheless. True, marriage was the best plan of action, but they would be forced to tread lightly for the remainder of the school year. But what else could he do? Snape had no choice but to marry the girl . . . no, scratch that. She was a woman. He was about to question why he thought that but decided it was better for later reevaluation. Reluctantly, Snape, ever the gentleman when pressed to it, did all he could do in the present situation.
"Miss Granger, since I'm set on doing this properly, and you deserve at least that, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Albus Dumbledore could not have been prouder. After all, he looked at Snape as the son he never had.
Hermione's respect for Snape grew. She had always had a bit of appreciation toward his integrity and intelligence, but this proved that there was some part of him capable of compassion. Sure he was a complete and total bastard a lot of the time, but he was making an effort to keep his promise. He was not failing completely in that department either. She smiled weakly at him, which got a small twitch of his lips in response. "Yes, I will marry you." Then, as an after though, she added, "Thank you for supporting me in this. I don't think anyone else would really understand."
With another small twitch of his lips, he replied, "I keep my promises, Miss Granger. And perhaps there is a part of me that wishes to not remain alone for the rest of my life."
Dumbledore interjected. "Well, this calls for a bit of a celebration, does it not?"
"Albus don't even think about it!" Snape growled.
"Kidding, my boy. However, the wedding will have to be soon." Hermione and Snape had forgotten about time. It was of the essence. Hermione was nearly a month pregnant already. Sooner was better. "In two weeks time, you shall be preparing for your wedding. I will make the arrangements for the Saturday following next. That should be sufficient time to inform your friends and family. However, it would be best if the two of you agreed on how this marriage came to be." Dumbledore winked. Some of the twinkle had found its way back into his eyes at the mention of a wedding despite the gravity of the situation.
"I'm glad that's decided," Snape replied with a hint of sarcasm. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Albus, what of her work?"
"Oh, yes, that. Miss Granger, it would be best if you turned your work in to either myself or Professor McGonagall. She will be informed of the situation."
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."
"Very well. Now off with the two of you. Miss Granger has already missed one of her classes. It would be best if she did not miss another."
(insert break here)
"Two weeks! Oh, Merlin help us . . . My parents!" Hermione suddenly remembered. They were back in his office. Snape was sitting behind his desk. Hermione sat in the chair opposite him. He was in a sullen mood. Hermione was feeling sorry for whoever crossed his path later in the day.
Snape groaned. "My mother, Miss . . . Hermione," Snape frowned even more deeply than he was before. Hermione smiled at his catch. He would need to get used to using her first name. She would have to get used to using his first name as well.
"My parents are going to kill me, Severus." That seemed easy enough. It felt a bit odd, but she found it oddly reassuring that his name rolled so easily from her tongue.
"Not if my mother gets to it first. Can you make arrangements to visit them this weekend?" he inquired tiredly.
"I'll send an owl telling them I'll be coming with a guest for dinner tomorrow evening."
"Great. Bloody fantastic. Now we just have to make sure they don't know you're already pregnant . . ." he mused. Hermione groaned in response.
"That's a death wish. What's our story anyway?" They looked at each other, perplexed.
"Think on it. We'll talk after dinner. You should get to class before you're any later." He handed her a note explaining he had detained her for part of the class.
"Oh, and Severus, Madam Pomfrey wishes to speak to you."
"This day just gets worse," Snape said as he slammed his head onto his desk. Hermione shook her head as she grabbed her book bag and headed to Arithmacy.
End Part 2