Chapter 5

The frigid September weather was harsh against Hermione's face as she made her way over the final stretch of wet grass that lead to Hogwarts' main entrance. Her shoes sank into the mud as she tried to get to the shelter beyond the hard wooden oak doors. Her fingers were red and throbbing from the effort of clinging onto the carpet bag, which had all her belongings magically shrunk to fit inside, as well as the cold weather. She grit her teeth as the wind blew her hair into her face, she was almost to the entrance. "Just a bit further." She muttered to herself. Her eyes were focused on her goal, pushing herself to reach it. This was it. She was actually going to do this. Hermione watched as the doors swung open and a silhouette stood waiting on her arrival. Reaching the doors she realized why the person hadn't come out further and offered to help her. It was Snape. You would have thought that since she was going to give birth to his child, he could at least try to act like a gentleman.

"I believe I told you to arrive this morning, Miss Granger. Am I to assume that you are still incompetent at following directions?" His lowered tone of voice suggested he wasn't really interested in hearing her answer.

She put down her bag and flexed her fingers to regain the feeling in her hands. A hot bath would be much appreciated right now. It was much more enticing than standing out here and talking to him. Sure she wanted to get to know him, but she didn't want to catch a cold in the process. She would have plenty of time over the course of the next three years to convince him to let her be a part of their child's life. "Could we talk about it inside?"

"No. Now." He snapped.

"I was arranging the sale of my parent's house. The delay was unavoidable. I'm freezing and wet, now can we please go inside?" Hermione tried in vain to run her fingers through her hair to undo some of the knots. Wincing in pain she looked pleadingly towards the professor.

"Follow me." He said stiffly turning around and heading back into the castle. Snape then left Hermione to pick up her bag and follow him inside. Hermione struggled to keep up as the weight of the bag fought her every step of the way. She couldn't help but look around curiously at her surroundings. Merlin she had missed this place! As she came to the top of the staircase, Hermione mentally slapped herself before pulling out her wand and levitating her bag the rest of the way down to the dungeon. She was a witch after all. Why hadn't she though of it before? Reaching the corridor of the classrooms, Hermione followed Snape through the labyrinth of passages until he reached a bare damp wall.

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room and dorm rooms," Looking back at Hermione to see if she was listening, Snape continued. "It is also the entrance to my private rooms. There are two passwords, one that will allow you to enter the corridor to the Common room, the other to my rooms. Only I can gain access to both at the same time."

"The password to my room is Eros. You don't need the Slytherin password." As he said the password a concealed door slid open and a well lit corridor appeared. Hermione entered after Severus and looked around her, there were round green lamps that hung from the ceiling on chains. The walls were bare stone, but the floor had a long green rug running down its length. There was a single door at the end of the hall. It was surprisingly warm though the damp walls gave the feeling of deep coldness.

"How can it be that only you have access to both?" Hermione asked as Severus lead her through the final door and into a square comfortable, and not as green as she had thought it to be, sitting room.

"The door that leads to the common room is in the hall but is hidden with very complex wards so don't even think of looking for it. It is there you simply can't see it." Severus turned to face Hermione as he watched her take in her surroundings. She seemed quite surprised at what she was seeing. He hoped she wasn't unhappy. He was, after all, going to have to live with her for a while, and an unhappy woman was never pleasant. He figured that an unhappy pregnant woman would be even worse.

He had chosen the design himself, all wooden furniture was solid mahogany, and even the beams that ran across the ceiling were the same, hermione ran her hand across the side table. His couch was a soft green color, and he has a dark green leather armchair that looked inviting by the hearth. The fire place was high and took up most of the centre of the left side wall, the mantel was the next place where Hermione ran hr hand across, too be underneith that hand, severus pondered. The walls were wallpapered a soft cream color with a silky looking pattern across it. He was pleased with it, it had taken a while for him to find the perfect lamps to sit on the side-tables that now rested by the sides of the couch which Hermione now stood behind.

"Wow. This place is really amazing Professor." Hermione said smiling as she turned to face Severus. He was pleased that she liked it. Of course, he would never tell her he had redecorated everything not three weeks ago, for her arrival.

"Thank you," he replied almost smiling at her praise. "The door next to the fireplace leads to a small study. The door next to that, on the back wall, leads to the kitchen. The one next to the kitchen is the guest room. That room will be yours until the child is born. The final door on the right side wall is my bedroom. Each bedroom has its own bathroom." As he finished speaking, Severus looked Hermione over and noticed how her cheeks were slightly red from the journey from the apparation point to Hogwarts. The bottom of her robes was dirty from mud and rainwater and her hair was in total disarray. In all, she looked wild, young, and very sexy in an unkempt way. Fighting away these thoughts Severus continued. "It would be wise if you went to the bathroom and cleaned yourself up as soon as possible. Your appointment is at 5pm, it is close to four now."

"What appointment?" Hermione asked slightly panicked having a pretty good idea of what the appointment was going to be for. Surely she wouldn't be impregnated tonight?

"With the mediwitch at Mares For Hire." Severus said matter-of-factly. "Hopefully you will be ready to conceive my heir tonight."

"What the…?" Hermione exclaimed stretching her arms out wildly for emphasis. "I haven't even been here 15 minutes and your already trying to get me up the duff!"

"Up the what?" Severus didn't know how to respond to that phrase, should he be insulted?

"Never mind, it's a muggle saying. I'll be ready in half an hour." With that Hermione huffed out of the sitting room and entered the guestroom, bag still floating in tow.

Hermione was embarrassed as she lay on the table in a less than covering hospital gown. Why in Merlin's hell didn't they put a back to these things? Hermione was very grateful for the fact that she was lying on her back and not her stomach. As much as wanted Severus to see her naked ass, this was not the setting she had in mind. Why did he have to be present for this anyway?

"Hello Hermione! I'm mediwitch Helena! I'm going to see if you can become a mummy! Well, you won't be a mummy really will you, since you're just a surrogate!" The witch laughed to cover her lapse. "Well anyway, I'm going to cast a few simple spells to see what stage your cycle is in. When was your last one?"

"Urm, a few days maybe a week ago?" Hermione felt her cheeks burn as she noticed that Severus' head had piped up from the leaflet he was reading.

"That's good!" The witch said, wand hovered over Hermione's stomach and it started to hum softly. "That's even better, not as good as we could hope for, but with a few potions you'll be ready in half an hour! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah…"Hermione looked over at Severus and saw he had a look of approval on his face. "What potions?"

"Just ones to increase your level of the Luteinising hormone and to thicken your walls abit so the egg will get nice and stuck." The witch smiled reassuringly as she left the small white sterile room.

Looking over at Severus again, Hermione gave him a pleading look before saying, "I don't want it."

"Want what exactly Miss Granger?" Snape asked. His tone was harsh as he sat up straighter in the plastic chair and put the leaflet he had been reading to the side.

"This, now, I'm not ready." She stated, looking away from his cold eyes.

"Make yourself ready, I have already had to reschedule this appointment once today on short notice. I refuse to have to do it again."

"I didn't think I'd be expected to do this the day I arrived. Let alone an hour after." Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes. No! She will not cry in front of him. She will be strong.

"I have waited more than enough time for my heir. I shall not let you put it off any longer." said Severus picking up the leaflet to begin his reading once more.

"If I conceive this child now, it will be forced, against my will. Be that on your conscience." Hermione spat.

"Our contract states that it is my right. I am not in the wrong." He answered with an irritating calm.

Not another word was spoken between the two. The mediwitch soon brought in the potions. Hermione reluctantly drank each one and then waited in a deathly silence for the time for the time to be right.

"Hermione, its time! Aren't you excited! To think, a baby will begin growing in your belly in less than a minute!" said the overexcited mediwitch. Helena laid Hermione back and then began to chant Latin words in a low tone that Hermione cared not to listen to. She decided to ignore the fact that she is pregnant with his child. Maybe it would be a good idea if she had no part in the child's life, after all its dad was a complete bastard.

Severus sat and watched as Hermione was finally impregnated. He watched her in silence for the 15 minutes Hermione was required to lay still. He saw the tears that swelled in her eyes, read the emotions that went through her eyes. Still he remained silent. It was when a single tear fell down her pale sweet skin, that for the first time in years Severus felt guilt. He would try to make it up to her.

A/N thanks to my hero MadameMischief! remember i respond to reviews via email!