Thanks to Erica Dawn! Fantastic work!

There shouldn't be any mistakes in this chapter enjoy and review!

Chapter 12

She was sitting with worry etched on her face when he entered the living room. Severus sighed and moved to sit next to her. She didn't seem to notice him coming and jumped a little when he spoke. "What is it?"

"He's not moving. Something's wrong." Hermione spoke, her voice small.

"When was the last time you felt him move?" Severus questioned his own worry beginning to rise.

Hermione frowned and then looked at the clock, her face relaxed as she worked out the time. Smiling she spoke. "Twenty minutes ago. I'm sorry, it's just when I think that he hasn't moved for a while I begin to worry."

"This is a new experience for you. It's quite understandable for you to overreact at times." Severus replied his voice smooth as velvet. He had be worried himself then. He sat back into the couch and pondered. She was in her 19th week now. When she was at 17weeks he had found her talking to her stomach, he didn't interrupt her and she didn't say anything to cause him to worry. She spoke about general things to him, such as the weather and news.

Him?

How long had he been calling him a he? Now that he thought about it, Hermione had been calling him a he for some time too. Then again she had also taking to comparing herself to being, as she put it, clumsy as a pregnant ox. Heartburn had become a problem for her as well. With all these things she was suffering, Severus was surprised she hadn't started treating the pregnancy as an illness.

"Oh I think I just felt him! Severus, place you hand here and tell me if it's him." Hermione grabbed his hand and placed it on her newly exposed skin. It was the first time he had felt her 'bump'; he closed his eyes as he felt the expansion of her stomach, in there was his child. In there was Albus' only chance.

Albus' condition had not changed from what it was at Christmas, he was still slowly defrosting and Severus had calculated that it would take the rest of this year before he fully defrosted. Hopefully this child will be the savior that is needed. Hermione visited Albus less than what she used to, maybe it was due to the pain she felt when walking or she was hiding from the reason why the child was to be born.

Severus was brought from his thoughts as he felt a slight movement. There! He felt it again, it wasn't strong but he could feel it all the same. He opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, she was beaming down at him and he couldn't help but smile back. "I can feel him."

"That's your son, Severus." Hermione smiled meekly.

"My son?" Severus questioned she seemed so sure that it was a boy.

"Poppy cast a spell just before Harry and Ginny's party. It's a boy Severus. Its – your son." Hermione smile was weak now and Severus could guess to why it was so. It was his son. Not hers. It pained her to think of it that way he could tell. The air around them lost its excitement and was replaced with the uncomfortable air of understanding.

"I-erm- never thought there would be a day when I would be given the gift of a child, let alone a son." Severus voice was soft and full of unsaid emotion. When he was a child he would comfort his mother after a rather bad beating, speaking English as his father only spoke French. She would plead with him to treat his own children better, to accept what they want or chose to be and to love the woman who gave him these children for she was creating a miracle each time she was with child. In those moments he had promised every time. He had promised never to be his father, yet every day when he looks in the mirror...it is that man who stares back at him.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. I am doing nothing that is special. You've paid me to have this child. You owe me no thanks." Hermione shrugged.

"Either way I am still thankful." Severus looked into her eyes, willing her to see why things have to be the way they are. If he was to marry then there was no hope for him not turning into his father but to have a child in such a marriage as well, then there was no hope that his son would not turn out like him.

He could not repress Hermione the same way he watched his mother be.

"I'm glad you've came Ginny." Hermione smiled as she embraced Ginny the best she could without bouncing her with her stomach, it wasn't large enough to bounce her into orbit but Hermione felt as if she was huge enough to bounce her at least a foot into the air. It was rather uncomfortable trying to hug someone with out squashing her stomach. "It's been so long!"

"I know it has! Look at the size of you now! How long gone are you?" Ginny smiled staring at the jean clad stomach in awe before sitting down on the couch.

"Just gone 20 weeks. I've been so bored not being able to see any of you guys." Hermione smiled. Severus was away on 'business' for the weekend, leaving Hermione utterly fed up and in lack of decent company. "Don't get me wrong the staff is wonderful but I couldn't really tell them in great detail the woes of being pregnant with a child that isn't mine."

"What have you said to the staff?" Ginny asked with a frown on her face. She moved so she could face Hermione more comfortable and she could tell that Hermione was struggling deeply. "Miony?"

"The senior staff was a bit iffy with the idea of Severus wanting a child; there were a lot of questions asking why. They've known him a lot longer than any of the new staff so it's like his the pot calling the kettle black." Hermione sighed; she had stayed a lot longer in their rooms during that horrible time. "They were fine with me being a surrogate but it was out of character for Severus to want something that he boasts about hating 24/7. Everyone knows he isn't keen on children. So it confused them why he wanted one."

"What did you tell them?" Ginny asked softly as she rubbed Hermione's arm in a sign of comfort.

"I told them that it was in exchange for an apprentice and I'm very happy to do it because not only do I get a free Master's qualification but I also help to create one of the most beautiful things in the world, but if they wanted to know why Severus wanted a child they would have to ask him and not me." Hermione explained. "The only person who did ask him was that new Muggle studies, Professor Vic Hearts. I don't think she will speak to him every again, the poor girl."

"Was he that bad?"

"Oh yes, he was already in a bad mood but he just went off on one when she asked him." Hermione smiled at the memory. "I pretended to have a migraine so I could go to bed early and not suffer his wrath any longer."

"Good thing we've got the whole weekend without him!" Ginny laughed. "So how is it all going?"

"I have this sinking feeling that this child is going to be born a shade lighter than magenta." Hermione admitted. "I can't eat enough beetroot! Or pickled Cucumbers! I've lost my once sweet tooth."

"What's Snape been like with that then?" Ginny was openly laughing as she moved around on the couch, her luggage and cloak already set in Hermione's old room.

"If he laughs when he catches me putting peanut butter on tortilla chips he does so privately." Hermione summarized as she thought of Severus' shock and mild disgust when he learnt of her new eating habits. "He went all the way to the kitchens the once just to fetch me some beetroots for my pizza."

"With pizza? That's just sick!" Ginny said while her face was scrunched up like she had sucked on a lemon.

"Oh no, it goes really well with lemon curd on top." Hermione replied nodding her head. "I've still got a few pieces in the fridge if you wanna try one."

"NO! It's ok, really." Ginny laughed.

"I love being pregnant, there's this thing that's like a Sneakascoop but with ear phones that lets me listen to the baby's heartbeat. But I wish my hormones would give me a break." Hermione sighed wishing that her hormones would just get up and leave. At times she would be purring hoping that Severus would look at her, fall suddenly in love and take her to bed as fast as possible, hell he didn't even need to fall in love with her, just a quick shag would do. The most she got of him though was a slightly worried look and questions on her health, physical and mental. "I started crying at the Quidditch match last week just because it started raining. I was crying my heart out because so many people were going to get rained on. I thought of all the wet clothes the House-elves would have to wash and that they would have to work all day. It felt as if it was the worst thing to happen in the world!"

"I'm glad Harry and I am going to wait until we're married before having kids. It sounds nasty"

"It is Gin, but I dare say it will all be worth it in the end." Hermione smiled wishing with her all might that it was true and it would be worth it in the end.

Severus felt empty as he left the office of Professor Fitzwilliam, the weekend had been hard but it was finally all settled. In December Hermione will be moving to Spain to finish off her apprentice under Eric Fitzwilliam, one of the best potions masters in the world, he even surpassed himself. Yes it was wrong of him to solve his problems by running away from them. Hermione would never forgive him for arranging her future with her permission, but after she knows how great a man Eric is, how much he knows and how he's more picky about who he chooses for an apprentice than Severus was. She would agree to leave, still hating him and will never talk to him again.

This is what he wanted, so why does he feel so depressed?

A/N So im stuck for a name!

Alexander? or Alastair?

Vote for your favorite and the winner will be the one with the most votes. Thanks!