Rachel cornered Hermione as she was walking out of her office one Saturday evening and demanded the she tell Severus about the baby.
"He's making a double-strength potion for me because he thinks the one you took didn't work!"
"So? You'll just get pregnant right away, what's the big deal?" Hermione asked.
"What's the big deal? A double strength pregnancy potion combined with the Weasley fertility history! I don't know if it's possible to have ten kids at once, but I sure as hell am not finding out!" Rachel said, adamantly.
"You tell him, or I will!" she threatened and stalked away.
Hermione nodded to herself and headed for the dungeons. It was time.
She walked slowly through the closet and placed her left hand on the knob of the door on the back wall. She stopped and took a deep breath praying that her Gryffindor courage would not desert her now.
It had been a month since she learned she was pregnant, and she had yet to inform her husband. Unfortunately, tomorrow was Charlie and Rachel's wedding day and Severus was currently making a double-strength pregnancy potion.
Rachel had a point. The poor girl was nervous enough about the wedding and Hermione felt terrible for adding to her worries. It would be selfish to continue to hide the pregnancy any longer. She only hoped that he would understand and not hate her for it.
She found him bent over a cauldron, muttering under his breath as he added ingredients. She walked over to him, and waited for him to acknowledge her. He didn't, so she cleared her throat.
"I can't stop now, Hermione, come back in an hour," he said, completely focused on the task at hand.
"Actually this can't wait, and you'll end up throwing that out anyway," she commented, and he finally looked up at her.
"She's pregnant already isn't she? I guess that's not such a surprise as much as I've caught them in closets together," he said with an amused smirk.
Hermione wished she could take that lie and run with it. In all honesty Rachel probably wouldn't need the potion to get pregnant anyway, but Hermione knew that she needed to clear the air.
"Severus, come with me there's something we need to discuss," she said, grabbing his hand.
"No, I should finish this. Even if she doesn't need it you still do…" He stopped talking, his eyes going wide. "Unless, you don't?" he said slowly.
Hermione felt happy, guilty, and scared all at the same time. Her hormones were really starting to piss her off.
"Just come with me already!" She practically shouted and walked out of the room.
She was shaking so she sat in one of the sitting room chairs to wait on him.
Severus joined her a few minutes later looking confused and a little perturbed.
"Well?" he asked when she remained silent.
"Rachel's not pregnant, I am," she said, watching his expressions carefully.
"Oh. Why did you stop me from making the potion then?" he asked.
"Oh? I tell you that I'm carrying your child and all you say is 'oh'?" she demanded.
"Um, yea?" he asked hesitantly.
Hermione suddenly burst into sobs.
"You don't want it! You didn't want me and now you don't want our baby!" she wailed.
Severus sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Hermione, I refuse to discuss this with you if you can't control yourself," he warned.
The tears stopped instantly. Hermione pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and cleaned up her face.
"I'm sorry. It's the hormones. I doubt this will be the last time I have an outburst like this," she commented sounding removed from the situation.
Severus blinked and shook his head.
"Great. Okay, you're pregnant. This is good news. Now, why did you stop me from making Rachel's potion? I wanted to get it done so we could turn in early… Oh."
"What?" Hermione asked.
"You're pregnant," he said.
"And?"
"And now we don't have to turn in early. I guess I should see about acquiring my own bedroom…"
"No!" She cried and he jumped three feet at her outburst.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Hermione! I'm sitting right here you don't have to yell. This is another pregnancy thing isn't it?"
"You don't need your own bedroom," she insisted.
He gave her a calculating look and shook his head.
"No. I couldn't stand the thought of you coming to my bed out of pity." He said, trying not looking at her.
"Pity? Is that what you think? Severus, I've been lying to you for a month now," she admitted.
"Lying? You hate me so much you've been lying to me?" he demanded.
"No. I've been lying to you because I… I love you."
Severus skeptically raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so?"
"I was pregnant after our first weekend together," she whispered.
He blinked.
"That's silly. Why would you lie about that?" he asked.
"Because I knew that you'd insist on not sleeping with me anymore! I can see now that I was right." She accused, looking hurt.
"But I… I mean you… You don't want to stop?"
He couldn't seem to wrap his head around what she was telling him.
"No, I don't."
He could do nothing but stare at her, bewildered.
Hermione sighed and got up from her chair. She walked over to him and sat in his lap, just as she'd done the night of her return to Hogwarts.
"Severus, I am your wife," she said, taking his hand and placing it on her still-flat stomach.
"And this is your child. We're your responsibility now, whether you like it or not. It is your job as my husband to keep me satisfied, especially in bed," she said with a saucy grin.
"Hermione, it's not a…" he began, but she brought a finger to his lips to silence him.
"No Severus. This is one thing I will not compromise on. You will keep me satisfied, or I will make your life a living hell. Now, take me to bed," she commanded, regally.
"Now? But it's only…"
She cut him off with a deep kiss. He was shocked by her passion and felt his own begin to grow.
"As my lady commands," he said, and carried her to the bedroom.
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Melanie and Harry stumbled through the door of their rooms and collapsed in a heap on the sofa.
"I can't move," Melanie moaned as she kicked off her boots.
Harry just grunted and leaned his head back with his eyes closed.
They'd just returned from a ten-hour shopping excursion with Mrs. Walsh. But it was finally finished. All the wedding arrangements were taken care of. In a week, they'd be married, and hopefully it would be a long time before Harry had to see that crazy woman again.
He cracked open an eye to look at Melanie, who was rubbing her sore feet. He wondered just how much like her mother she'd turn out to be. He wasn't too concerned as it was obvious she'd hated the whole shopping thing as much as he had.
"I don't know how many pairs of shoes Mum stuffed my feet into, but I think I'm just going to wear my trainers. My gown is so long, it's not like anyone can see my feet anyway," she complained.
Harry closed his eyes again and pondered the situation.
"You must really love your mother," he commented, and Melanie looked at him, startled.
"Of course I do. She's…my mum," she responded, staring at him like he wasn't quite right in the head.
His jewel-green eyes opened and locked onto her hazel ones.
"I never knew my mother," he said.
His voice was even and steady, but his eyes held a wistful sadness that touched her.
Melanie tilted her head to the side as she studied his face.
"I forget things like that sometimes. I mean, I know your story, everyone does, but sometimes I have trouble connecting you with the Great Harry Potter in the newspapers," she commented thoughtfully.
He laughed bitterly, and looked away from her.
"I'm not great. I only did what anyone in my situation would have."
"Not just anyone, but you're right. You're not 'great', and I for one am very glad about that," she said, with a teasing smile.
He looked at her again, confused.
"What do you mean?" he demanded, trying to determine whether or not he'd been insulted.
She giggled.
"I mean you are not some larger than life war hero like everyone makes you out to be. Yes, you defeated Voldemort, but you leave your dirty socks on the floor. You saved the world, but you're addicted to Qudditch, just like almost every other ordinary wizard. Also, you snore," she pointed out.
Melanie blushed as she remembered the last time she'd heard him snore. Almost a month ago she had woken up to it. She'd had a nightmare about the night she was attacked, and rather than go back to his bed, she'd convinced him to stay with her in hers. They'd only been slightly touching when she'd fallen asleep again, but when she woke up, she'd found herself pressed up against him with his arms wrapped tightly around her. She'd felt the heat of his body along the length of hers where they'd touched, and had decided it was a very nice feeling.
She had felt safe and cared for. When he began to stir, however, she instantly feigned sleep, afraid that he might not be happy with their position. She held herself very still and held back a gasp as she'd felt his lips brush across her forehead. He had gotten up and left after that, and they'd never spoken about it.
He chuckled and shook his head.
"Did you just give me a compliment by pointing out my faults?" He asked, looking at her in awe.
She just smiled and painfully got to her feet.
"What time is Professor Weasley's wedding tomorrow?" She asked him with a yawn.
"9 o'clock."
She sighed.
"Too early," she grumbled and began limping to her room.
"You okay?" He asked when she reached her door.
"Yeah. I'm going to soak in the tub then turn in," she said.
He nodded and said, "I think I'll do the same."
Their eyes met and they both blushed.
"In my own bathroom, of course," he added quickly.
Melanie nodded at him and disappeared into her room.
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"That's not the book I need!" A fifth year Ravenclaw's dismayed cry rang throughout the crowded, but quiet, library.
Katie groaned inwardly and walked back to the shelves to seek out the elusive book. She'd known it probably wasn't the right one, but had hoped the student wouldn't notice.
No such luck. With OWLs right around the corner the fifth years were all hanging precariously on the brink of insanity.
Katie climbed up on a stool and pulled out a book so that she could better read the title. A cloud of dust hit her in the face and she began sneezing uncontrollably.
She gave a sigh and shoved the book back into its place. Of all the things she'd dreamt of becoming as a child, a librarian was not one of them. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had no other position to offer her. And while he would have allowed her to stay at Hogwarts without working for him, Katie just didn't feel right about it.
Katie had wanted to see if Madam Rosemerta would hire her as a waitress, then she could pay some sort of rent to Dumbledore. George had shot that idea down right away.
"You're safe here in the castle. By leaving you'll give Flint the opportunity to snatch you away," he had said.
He was right and Katie was touched that George cared.
Though at the moment she wasn't feeling very tender toward him. George had been avoiding her for weeks. They had a wedding to plan, but she had yet to have the opportunity to speak with him about it.
It seemed he was spending more and more time at the shop and less at the castle.
"Exam time is always a busy time for our business," Fred had told her when she'd cornered him a couple of days ago.
At least, she thought it was Fred. George had taken on the annoying habit of pretending to be Fred so that he wouldn't have to talk to her. It hurt, but Hermione had assured her that both Fred and George were idiots afraid of commitment. She insisted that it had nothing to do with Katie personally, and that George would be much more amicable once they were married and he realized that the world wouldn't end because of it.
'Is this really the man I want to father my children?' Katie asked herself, as she stared blankly at another shelf of books.
Suddenly, she spotted the book she was looking for. It was on the top shelf of the case across from the one she was at. Now Katie knew that the proper thing to do would be to climb down off of the stool and move it to the other case so that she could climb back up and safely retrieve the desired book. She could even remove her wand from her pocket and summon the book to her. But she didn't.
No, she did the dangerous, stupid thing, and leaned across the aisle, arm outstretched toward her goal. She realized her mistake the instant before she fell. Luckily for her, it was not the hard stone floor that caught her, but a pair of warm, muscular arms.
Her heart rate sped up and mouth turned dry as she looked into the face of the Weasley holding her. She tried desperately to keep the disappointment off of her face when she realized that it was Ron and not George who was holding her.
"Oy, Katie! You ought to be more careful," he chided, setting her gently on her feet.
Katie swallowed, but couldn't seem to say anything. All she could think about was how hard his chest was, and how good it had felt pressed against her.
Ron looked up at the book she'd been reaching for. He smiled at her, then stretched up an arm and easily pulled it from the shelf. He handed it to her, only to see it quickly snatched from her hand by the Ravenclaw, who was now practically foaming at the mouth.
He shook his head with a smirk.
"I'd forgotten how crazy everyone got before OWLs," he commented.
Katie gave a nervous laugh, and nodded looking at the floor.
"Are you okay?" he asked her after a minute.
She nodded again, and then cleared her throat.
"Can I help you with something? You're not here looking for a book are you?" she asked, hoping that he wasn't.
He laughed.
"No, of course not! I was actually looking for you. I could use some help with the new Qudditch teams, and Dumbledore suggested I ask you," he explained.
"Me?" she squeaked.
He gave her an odd look, but nodded.
"Yeah, you've been playing professionally haven't you?" he asked.
She nodded again.
"Well then. I'm sure the students would love to learn from your expertise. Besides, you must be going batty being cooped up in here all day. Some fresh air would do you good."
At her hesitant look he held up his hands.
"Look, if you don't want to, just say so. Tell you what, you think it over. Talk to George and then let me…" he trailed off when he saw a tear slip from her eye.
Katie hastily swiped it away and turned away from him.
"What is it?" he asked, confused.
Katie's shoulders slumped as she turned back to face him, hoping that she wouldn't shed anymore tears.
"I can't talk to George. He's hardly ever here, and when he is, he pretends to be Fred so that he doesn't have to talk to me. I've tried to be patient and understanding, but I'm starting to wish that he'd never offered to marry me," she said in a rush.
She watched Ron's expression turn from shock to fury. It felt good that he was angry on her behalf.
"That git!"
Katie smiled and nodded in agreement.
Ron took a moment to really look at her. Her pale face was covered in dust, and her eyes looked weary and hurt. She also seemed to be quite thinner than when she'd first arrived. Her robes were a bit big on her, and her hair hung in a tight braid down her back. This was not the Katie Bell he'd remembered from school.
"C'mon, we need to get you out of here," he said, taking her arm and steering her toward the door.
"Ron, I can't just leave the library unattended," she protested.
Someone loudly cleared their throat and the pair turned around to see Dumbledore standing behind them.
He smiled benignly at them.
"I was just coming down to see if you needed a break, Miss Bell. I can see that I was right on time."
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Rachel sighed against Charlie's mouth as she felt his hand slip into her robes. She groaned as his warm hand closed over her bare breast and he deepened the kiss and pressed her tighter against the wall of the broom closet.
"What if Snape catches us again?" she asked, breathlessly.
Charlie groaned and leaned around her to hit his head on the wall.
"You can't mention the greasy git when were doing this. It makes me lose enthusiasm," he complained and she giggled.
"Hermione sure seems to like him," she commented thoughtfully, and Charlie groaned again.
"Great, thanks for that mental image," he said, playfully then moved to kiss her again.
She ducked her head.
"No, Charlie. We need to stop now," she said firmly.
"Why? We'll be married tomorrow! The whole school thinks we've already fu-"
"Charlie! It's one more day! We can wait one more day, please?" Rachel begged, batting her eyes at him.
He gave a defeated sigh and nodded.
"I can wait, but I'm not happy about it," he mumbled.
She smiled at him and pecked his cheek.
"I love you, Charlie Weasley."
They both froze at her words.
"I-I mean, oh! Wow, I do. Charlie, I'm in love with you," she said, as if the idea had really just occurred to her.
They smiled at each other, and she submitted to another deep kiss.
But when Charlie left her at the infirmary ten minutes later all Rachel could think about was that he had not returned her sentiment.
End Chapter 10