Chapter 5: A Confrontation

Severus was pacing in his office. A mouth in the back of Quirrell's head was disturbing, to say the least. He believed the children, of course. But it was a bit difficult to confirm their claim. Hagrid had complained about the unicorns in this week's staff meeting, and Quirinus didn't even blink. Either he had too good a poker face, or he had used a confundus on himself. Snape asked him about the turban because Quirrell hadn't worn one as a student. Hermione had found out from the old yearbooks. The man simply answered that it was for religious reasons. That he had made a promise to wear it until he achieved his goals. Which goals? He didn't say.

If only McGonagall were here, Severus could have someone else to brainstorm with. Minerva was meeting with Scamander at the Grangers' office. She wanted to see how the Blacks were doing and discuss his research on lycanthropy. McGonagall wanted to pick his brains and learn what in his research gave him the idea to inoculate Sirius with werewolf poison. Severus was scheduled to care for the Blacks in two days. The Family decided to take turns nursing them since their recovery would take time.

No curses that he knew could provide a person a second mouth, let alone one in the back of a person's head. Why would anyone need another mouth to begin with? Hermione had suggested some dark, obscure ritual. She was an impressionable child, but she had a keen eye and was smart enough to link things. He took off towards the Library. A visit to the Restricted Section was in order. He penned a short letter to Charlus and Dorea and requested access to their Library, which now was more complete than ever with tomes from the Potter, the Black, and the Malfoy collection.

He did research for hours until it clicked. What if it wasn't just a mouth attached but a whole other person? As it dawned on him, Hermione rounded a corner with an ancient-looking tome and gestured for him to come closer. He walked briskly towards her. Harry was watching out while Draco and Neville tried to cover her so she wouldn't be seen.

"I think I may know what it is!" she whisper shouted, her eyes shining with the successful glint he saw many times in Lily's eyes. "Here," she said, opening the tome on a particular page. "It could be a chimera!"

"Hmm, this is a promising start, Hermione. I was thinking of something else, but I have to do more research in other libraries," he replied with a brief smile.

A chimera was a monster compounded of incongruous parts, but as Quirinus was a human, it made no sense…. Or maybe it did. His mind began rushing.

"Uncle Sev? My scar reacts to him…" Harry whispered.

"I'm sorry, what!?" Severus turned to the boy so fast that his neck hurt. "How long-?"

"Since our first class… but the weird part is that it only bothers me when he turns away from me, and his… other mouth is facing me…"

Severus paled and went a bit green. He motioned for the kids to sit and stay quiet. Hermione pouted, and Draco frowned at this. The professor knew he wanted to help, but they couldn't help him with this. Draco mouthed 'Mind Magic.' This calmed the other kids down, and they just looked at the Potion's Master. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes. He brought up his occlumency shields and saw how his younger Snape ran from one door to the next in his recollections. He had spent several years retraining his mind. He saw blurs, but then he caught himself inside Sirius's pensieve memories of Harry's exorcism. Bloody hell! Something as dark as creating a Horcrux or a similar ritual could help two souls share one body. What if it was Voldemort? Or worse, Dumbledore? Fuck. But why was Harry feeling anything? His scar was healed! He needed an Alliance meeting as soon as possible. He added a few lines to his letter to the Potters, dried it with a spell, thanked the kids, and rushed to the owlery.

"It's like we're not even here!" Hermione complained.

Mrs. Snape cleared her throat at a distance. Hermione grimaced.

"I know he knows something he's not telling us…" Draco whispered with a frown.

"Well, let's keep looking. I refuse to be left out of this," Harry groaned. "It is my forehead… and Hermione's, of course," the girl blushed at this and squeezed his hand.

"Why do you think your foreheads act up when his… other mouth is facing you?" Neville asked while skimming an index.

"I don't know… But Mione feels it too… I don't care if it hurts me, but I don't want her to be in pain at all," Harry sighed.

"Oh, Harry….That's so sweet… Wait a minute…. Unless," Hermione looked deep into Harry's eyes.

"What?" Draco asked, looking at the bonded pair as if they were a vigorous tennis match.

"The exorcism!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed at once.

"The what now?" Neville was perplexed.

"That must be it!" Draco exclaimed. "I'll explain later, Nev. We need to go to the library at the manor. It has Malfoy and Black library books. If we can't find something dark there… we have no hope."

Neville looked worried at this, "we can also use my family's library… It's a good thing that Christmas break is only a few weeks away."

"Nev, write to your Gran so you can stay with us for a few days, and so we can come to visit?" Harry suggested.

The boy nodded.

"I think we are all going to spend the holidays at your grandparents' in any case…" Draco shrugged. "My mom and dad uninvited the headmaster… Apparently, grandma Eileen broke up with him because of me," he looked down with a sigh.

"They broke up? Wow, I'm sorry Drakey…" Hermione pulled the boy towards her side and squeezed him. She expected to be told off for calling him that or for him to pull away. Instead, he lay his head on her shoulder and sighed.

"I feel horrible… It's like they were doing great until I happened," the boy sighed.

"Nah… I don't think so… I heard professor Sprout say that your gran wasn't happy because he has little to no time for her… And time is apparently very important," Neville shrugged with a confused look. He heard that. It didn't mean he understood it.

"Hmm, let's just be kids, okay?" Harry smiled.

"What?"

"Grown-ups' problems are for grown-ups. Emma is always telling us to just worry about kid stuff. Let's listen to her, then," Harry replied with a small shrug.

"Listen to Neville too. I am sure that there were problems there already before this happened. You didn't happen. The problem was that he didn't do anything to help you. I cannot imagine that it would sit well with your grandma. In any case, I don't think the headmaster is boyfriend material…" Hermione said.

"Boyfriend material?!" Draco lifted a brow and stood up, pretending to stretch. Harry was looking at him weirdly since he put his head on Hermione's shoulder. The boy thought that perhaps Harry was jealous. They were kind of married, after all. "Well, who is boyfriend material for you?"

"All of you," she shrugged.

"What!?" the three boys replied with varying shades of blushing cheeks. Draco looked at Harry with wide eyes. His blush was the reddest.

Hermione laughed, muffling the sound as an 'Ahem' in the distance made her remember where she was. "Well, it's true. You three are going to be great boyfriends one day. I don't mean my boyfriends, just someone's… Calm down…"

Harry looked a bit off at this comment. Draco and Neville seemed relieved. Harry excused himself to go to the loo, and the friends agreed to meet for dinner.

Harry paced in the bathroom while he did and undid his tie. His mind kept going over the same statement repeatedly. I don't mean my boyfriends, just someone's. Why did that upset him? Luckily, he and Hermione had learned how to lift some privacy wards inside their bond, so when they wanted to, they could shut each other out. Did she want a boyfriend? Someone who wasn't him? He never thought about this, but now… He realized she didn't have a choice when they bonded; it just happened. She didn't choose him. He didn't pick her… Who was he kidding? Yes, he did. He had no idea why this was clear to him, but it was as if his very essence needed hers to exist and function. But if she didn't want to be with him, she deserved her freedom and to be happy.

He needed to talk to Hermione about Hermione. Damn it. Every time he had any issues, he would speak to her. But talking to her about her was a different thing. He blushed.

"Hey, Harry," someone tapped him on his shoulder.

"Oh, hi," Harry replied to his least-liked redhead. But something was off. The boy, who was typically mean and very happy to be that way, looked like he had been beaten to hell and back. His hair was a mess, he had scratches and bruises, his uniform was torn, and he had dark under-eye circles.

"Why don't you want to be friends with me?" his voice sounded small and pitiful.

"What happened to you?" Harry replied with a frown.

"It doesn't matter right, since we're not friends…" Ron answered dejectedly and walked to the lavatory to wash his bloodied hands. The boy knew how to use pity in his favor.

"I don't have to be your friend to care about what happens to you as a classmate. Who did this to you?" Harry finished his tie knot once more and washed his own hands.

"Crabbe and Goyle want me dead," the redhead admitted.

"Did you go to the infirmary? Talked to your Head of House?" Harry questioned him.

"No," Ron replied resolutely.

Harry was confused. If this wasn't the first time this had happened, and it looked like it wasn't, why not report it, "Why not?"

"Because I am not a bloody girl!"

"Pff, please!" Harry rolled his eyes. He found it annoying and offensive when sexist remarks like that were made. He imagined Emma looking down at Ron, making him wither. "Don't flatter yourself. If you were a girl, you would be smart enough to go to the Infirmary and report this," Harry lifted a brow at the redhead and walked towards the door.

"Wait!... Please come with me? I am scared they will attack me again if they see me walking alone," Ron whispered.

Harry took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose like his grandfather often did. His parents and the Grangers would want him to be kind. Sirius and Remus would like him to be defensive. He decided to do both.

"After you," Harry motioned towards the door. This way, he could make sure his wand and amulet were at the ready. Bloody hell! His amulet was on Draco's neck still.

They started walking down a corridor towards the staircase, and suddenly Harry felt the wind being knocked out of him, painfully. He bent over with the pain, and Ron sniggered. He had planned this. Of course. Unbeknownst to Harry, the redhead had negotiated a cease-fire with Crabbe and Goyle if they got to beat up Harry Potter. The two goons pushed him down and kicked him on the sides. What they didn't account for was that Harry and his friends had been trained on martial arts by Emma and that Harry wasn't easy to hurt since he had already been way hurt by a bigger, stronger man.

He soon grabbed Crabbe's foot, twisted his ankle, and pulled him forward harshly by the back of the knees, which made the kid fall to his a kneeling position with a crunch. Crabbe had pulled Goyle, who lost balance, and Harry twisted his body, landing a kick in between the boy's leg, incapacitating him. Goyle cried and screamed in pain. Ronald was not expecting this turn of events. He pulled out his wand, but Harry was quicker.

"Impedimenta!"

The redhead was pushed back. Out of seemingly nowhere, his friends were there. Hermione had her arm around Neville's shoulder; he was helping her walk. Hermione had felt the kicks, and she was a bit pale. Draco rushed into the corridor.

"Tarantallegra!" Neville yelled, surprising himself that it worked. He had never done it before.

"You dumbass! Stop it!" Ronald said, trying to throw a spell unsuccessfully as his legs moved without his control.

"Incarcerous!" Hermione groaned in pain. She was the one who knew more advanced spells out of the three.

The redhead fell with a thud. "You mudblood bitch!"

"Silencio!" Draco yelled, ending any more insulting remarks that were sure to follow from any buffoons.

"Students! What is the meaning of this?" Headmaster Flitwick descended the stairs at the end of the corridor in a rush.

"Weasley, Crabbe, and Goyle attacked me," Harry said with difficulty, trying to catch his breath.

"Mr. Potter, you seem fine to me," the headmaster looked at Harry up and down.

"Then, you need better glasses!" Harry growled in pain.

"10 points from Gryffindor for such cheek. Mr. Potter, to my office immediately," Filius ended the spells.

"No!" Harry replied resolutely with an angry scowl.

"Excuse me?" Filius was flabbergasted.

"He will not go without them or without us," Hermione intervened.

"Miss Granger, be grateful you are not in trouble for this and walk away," Filius offered.

"No, I will not walk away, and I will not shut up. You don't have a right to meet with any minor without witnesses! It's in the rule book!"

"The rulebook is currently under revision," Filius lied smoothly, surprising himself.

"Regardless, until a new rulebook is approved, the previous one stands!"

"Miss Granger, go to your common room. This is your last chance not to get in trouble," Filius insisted.

"Right, because one has to do a hell of a lot to get in trouble here, sir…" Hermione replied, crossing her arms. As a class hour finished, the scene was gathering a curious crowd.

"What is that supposed to mean, Miss Granger?" the headmaster frowned.

"What-? Are you kidding me!?" Hermione's hair began to float with furious energy, and Harry's hair did too, to a lesser extent. The crowd was growing. Filius needed to calm the girl down and soon. Before he could come up with something, she exploded. "Crabbe and Goyle ganged up on Draco several times, and you did nothing! They were not suspended as they should have been according to school rules. The rules state that students who willingly and maliciously cause physical harm to others will be suspended. Draco had bruises and scratches. He was punched and kicked not once, but several times, and you did nothing!" Hermione's gave off angry red sparks. Neville and Draco looked at her in amazement.

"Draco has not been hurt for weeks!" Filius whisper-shouted.

"That wasn't thanks to you! He found a place where he can sleep without fear of violence on his own. He had to! You wouldn't move him to another room because of some antiquated traditions that no one here gives a damn about!" Harry yelled, golden sparks coming off him. He made sure to leave out where Draco was sleeping so that the headmaster wouldn't get any ideas.

"Draco, you know you can't-" Filius was cut off.

"I am Mr. Black to you, headmaster. I never gave you permission to address me by my first name. I don't call you Filius, do I? We will not go to your office without our Heads of House present as it is our right according to the school's rules," Draco grabbed Harry, whose stomach was hurting from the kicks.

"Do not lecture me on school rules!"

"We wouldn't if you actually showed you respected them by applying them fairly and efficiently!" Hermione snapped. Several agreements were murmured around them.

"The three of you, to my office!"

"No! Don't you know, Headmaster? It is quite unseemly for you to meet with unaccompanied minors in your office… People could get the wrong idea," Neville said with an internal smirk. His outward expression shy. Draco had told him the insulting suggestion the Headmaster had posed about him sharing a room with Severus, and it had upset him deeply.

Filius seemed ready to burst at the implications, and he looked at Draco accusingly. The boy didn't even flinch.

"Look, Headmaster, as I said, we will not go there without our Heads of House present, but even then, we will go to the Infirmary first. Seeing as you can't even be bothered to do anything to lessen Harry or Hermione's pain, we will go where they will fix care. Then, the Healers can take pictures of the bruises on them and send them to the DMLE to add them to my growing file," Draco said with a deep frown.

"You are exaggerating, Mr. Black. There is no need to get the authorities involved," Filius stammered.

"If you actually applied your authority appropriately, we wouldn't have to get the DMLE involved!" Hermione retorted.

"50 points from Gryffindor, for such disrespect, Ms. Granger!" the Headmaster groaned.

"Bite me! I will earn them back within the week!" Hermione replied with a pained grimace. Her abdomen was pounding. The worst part was that the Headmaster knew she was right.

"100 points from Gryffindor, Ms. Granger!"

Before Hermione blew up further, Draco replied, "I think The Alliance will have no problem convincing Madam Bones to intervene Hogwarts again. This time it will be for its incapacity to take action to guarantee the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of its students. Not to mention unfair punishments against goblin allies like us. I can see the headlines already," the boy's gray eyes had an angry, calculating glint. He took off with his friends without allowing for a comeback.

Many students in the crowd were whispering in agreement.

"Mr. Black, we are not done talking!"

"You may not be done, but we are. If you are going to judge us, I demand you do so formally with our Heads of House and Parents present as protocol dictates when dealing with heirs of Most Ancient and Noble Houses!" Draco yelled back over his shoulder. "Have a good day, headmaster."

Filius was red with anger. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Crabbe, and Mr. Goyle, to my office, immediately!"

"We want our parents present too!" said Crabbe.

"And our Head of House!" added Goyle. They wouldn't allow Potter to get away with a benefit they did not have. Weasley wasn't looking forward to his parents coming after the howler his mother sent him after the sorting ceremony.

Flitwick cursed under his breath. "I will summon them after dinner. Do not approach Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, or Ms. Granger."

"Headmaster, I need to talk to our brother. He will go to your office immediately after. I promise," Percy Weasley requested.

The Headmaster nodded and walked away with the other two students.

"Fine!" Ronald spat, scrambling to his feet as Percy pulled him by the ear towards an empty classroom. A set of twins following them.

"I am so ashamed to have you as a brother that I can't even put it into words!" Percy exclaimed as soon as the door was closed. "How stupid can you be!?"

"Hey, Perce. Chill, he's hurt!" Twin A said. He noticed the bruises, the busted lip, the messed up appearance.

"We should take him to the Infirmary," Twin B added.

"No! Not before he explains himself! It is enough of an insult on our family's good name that he got sorted into Slytherin, but now he's colluding with Death Eater wannabes to hurt the freaking Boy-Who-Lived!? Do you have a clue of what Feuds are?"

"Y-Yes! Mom told me!" Ron had heard about them… once, perhaps. He wasn't sure what they entailed, though.

"Then you didn't learn well enough! Any of those boys can declare a Feud with our entire family! They have many seats in the Wizengamot! They have power, influence, and lots of money! If they declare a Feud against us, most Pureblood families will shun us too. Nobody wants to stand against ONE pureblood family that is among the Mighty Thirteen, and you, you stupid immature little shit, singlehandedly managed to offend THREE in one day! What the bloody hell is wrong with you!? Do you have a death wish? Do you want to be poor forever?"

"They will not shun us!" Ron replied, crossing his arms defensively. "Our family is Ancient too! And we are purebloods!"

"Yes, they will! Don't you get it!? Harry Potter is The Boy Who Motherfucking Lived! People think he can walk on water! Lord and Lady Potter will ruin us! Their Alliance will destroy us! Our House is only Ancient, but it isn't Noble.

Ron looked at him with a blank expression that showed that meant nothing to him. The twins seemed increasingly worried.

"That means, you slow-witted, ignorant fool, that we are a minor House who depends on the goodwill of major houses. I want to have better prospects when I graduate, not worse! They could effectively make unemployable! They could lobby to sack dad too!" Percy slammed his hands on a desk.

"Whoa! Let's not exaggerate, okay?" Twin B said, motioning for Percy to calm down.

"We need to teach him to do better, not make him feel stupid for not knowing things," Twin A added.

Percy looked at them with such anger and hatred that they stopped talking. "I am not exaggerating! These are things he should know. You two don't give a damn because you are immature asshole pranksters who don't care about anything serious! I have said it before, and I will say it again! Pranking doesn't pay the bloody bills! We are already struggling! The only reason we manage to afford to study here is that Bill and Charlie have been slaving off working overtime every single week, you ungrateful idiots! Do you think they don't come home because they don't want to? Have you ever considered their sacrifice!?"

The other three boys went pale. They just thought their brothers didn't want to visit.

"Of course, you haven't! Merlin, you are dumb! They are saving all the money they can to help us!" Percy got redded the more he talked. "They don't buy nice things for themselves. They don't go on vacation. They just work all the time."

The twins were about to say something, but a look from their older brother made them stop. Percy knew what they were thinking. They were too simple-minded for him not to guess.

"Why do they need to help us, you want to ask? Because you, Ronald All-I-Care-About-Is-Me Bilius Weasley, have racked up thousands of galleons in debt for the damages you caused in the Headmaster's office! And you did so within 24 hours of being here. You, absolute jerk, are a minor, in case you forgot, and as such, mom and dad have to pay for your stupidity and your inability to keep your anger in check!"

"It's the stupid hat's fault! I would be in Gryffindor if not for that waste of fabric!" Ronald stomped his feet petulantly.

"Don't even get me started on The Sorting Hat! You are lucky the school didn't charge us for fixing Aldrich! That hat is an invaluable ancient magical artifact. It has survived hundreds of years, wars, natural disasters, and you almost tore it apart in one night! It will cost tens of thousands of galleons to have it fixed!"

"Wait a minute, how bad are things, Percy? Mom and Dad keep saying we're too young to worry about that…" Twin A said.

"How bad!? Too young!? Screw that! Are you daft!? Did you notice that none of us have had new uniforms or supplies for three years? I am wearing Bill's, and you are wearing Charlie's. Only this klutz got one, and it was bought purposefully larger, so it fits him for longer," Percy was so upset that the chair next to him flipped as his control over his magic slipped.

"I couldn't come to Hogwarts with an old robe," Ronald complained. "I can't befriend the right people using hand me downs!"

Percy slapped his brother harshly to the utter shock of the twins and the boy. "Be glad you even have a robe! Mom and Dad don't even have enough money to pay for Ginny's tuition next year! They are going to get a second mortgage on our home!" Percy pulled his hair back and covered his face with his hands.

Ron was only kept upright by the twins who barely caught him. The slap would have made him tumble down. Ron's eyes filled with angry tears. The twins shared a worried look. They had no idea things were so dire.

"You are the most self-centered, ungrateful brute I have ever met. I will write to our parents about this, but I wash my hands off of you after that. I am ashamed to call you my brother. Your age is no excuse for your foolishness and carelessness. Fred, George, you better straighten up your act and get some sense into this one too."

"I will tell mom you hit me!" Ronald pushed Percy, who shoved him back twice as hard, making the boy fall on his bum.

Percy let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. "Do you think she will care when facing the prospect of not one but three Feuds with Most Ancient and Noble Houses!? Don't be ridiculous! Expect several howlers the three of you," Percy said over his shoulder as he left the room.

Ron had put a hand with bloodied knuckles to his reddened, hot, stinging cheek after he got straightened up on shaky legs. Percy would pay for this.

Twin A had a silent conversation with Twin B, "Come; we will take you to the Infirmary, and then we will walk you to the Headmaster's office."

"You are taking his side?!" Ron stepped away from them, indignant.

"We are taking no one's side. You are our brother, and we don't want you in pain. But if things are as bad as Percy says, you need to stop acting up before you are expelled or in a Feud!"

Twin B pulled Ronald by the arm towards the door. The other twin followed closely. They were considerably worried now. Despite what Percy said, they knew they could make money selling prank objects… so they would. Fred and George knew they needed to pull their own weight. They also needed to keep Ronald in check.

Hermione's hair hadn't stop floating. She was that incensed. It was a good thing that Draco was better at the politics part of the situation. She would have just yelled profanities. Yes, Hermione Granger was furious to the point of cursing a string of expletives that would make sailors blush. Harry was trying to push calming energy towards her, but he was in pain, and when she was in pain, she was not open to help. Neville was writing furiously on a piece of paper. His Gran would know what to do about this madness.

"Here, honey, drink this," Andromeda handed Harry a vial of pain-relieving potion and began casting spells all over. His stomach area was starting to bruise up. Hermione's pain eased up at this. She blinked rapidly. That had never happened before. Interesting.

Andy caressed the boy's hair. Madam Pomfrey quickly checked everyone else and gave the other three a calming draught, then went over to check on another patient. Once Hermione drank it, her hair finally came down, and she sighed.

"I will write to all your parents about this. If this violent streak keeps up, we will have to call in a meeting with all those Heads of House and guardians involved. I don't care who gets mad about this. Students' health is too important," Andy kissed all the kids' foreheads. "You don't have your parents here, but I am here, alright? You can come to get me at any time. I promised all your parents that I would do my best to keep you safe."

"Thanks, Aunt Andy," the kids replied.

"This is not to be borne!"

China clattered as it vibrated with the waves of magic coming off the older wizard.

"Calm down. You are going to lose your grip on your magic and damage the house!"

"That slimy, disgusting piece of-"

"Enough, Albus! There is nothing we can do about it now. Those Horcruxes were created years ago. No one knows what they are or where they are," Gellert said, lifting his eyes off his cup of tea.

"He knows! I would think you would be more upset. This changes everything!" Albus slammed his hands on the table, which jumped.

"It doesn't have to. We just need to find the damned things and destroy them, so we are back in control of the situation," Grindelwald was disappointed in himself. He should have gathered that information before he decided to make Tom a part of his plan. He was disgusted at the acts Riddle committed to be able to create such abominations.

"Don't you see? This is worse than we expected. To think that he did what you need to do to create a Horcrux…"

"For the love of Merlin! You do not get to pretend shock at disgusting, vile acts, not after the massacre you carried out at Hogwarts!"

"But I didn't create Horcruxes. Elves are magical creatures, not people."

"It doesn't matter. You killed hundreds in a matter of minutes, so you don't get to play the holier than thou card!" Gellert snapped back. He would need to make his own plans. Dumbledore wouldn't manage to stick with him to the end. Grindelwald was second-guessing both his partnerships.

Albus blushed and walked away, feeling told-off. Gellert was right. However, the worst part was that he had liked the taste of elven blood… and he couldn't wait to taste goblin blood. Something sinister was taking over him, and he didn't like feeling like he wasn't entirely in control of it anymore.

Emma was concerned. She would start showing soon. The week before, she went to an Ob-Gyn she trusted. Everything was progressing well. She was having both the prenatal vitamins and the potions that Neesy insisted she needed. Emma felt like there was something her tiny friend wasn't telling her. Daniel was starting to think she was sick. Luckily, there wasn't much morning sickness, but she was tired all the time. If she stayed calm for a few minutes, she would fall asleep regardless of what she was doing. Dan thought she was perhaps anemic. He insisted she should get lab work done, but she was stalling. Blood work would reveal she was pregnant.

Emma had confided in Dorea, who was over the moon with happiness for her. However, the wise witch agreed that it would be better to wait before announcing her news. By Christmas, she would be four months along. Dorea thought it would be nice to tell when they opened their presents. Emma was hesitant because they had lost Ajax a bit after the 5-month mark. But Dorea was right. Daniel would soon figure it out, and it would be better for him to find out from her. Emma just wanted to spare him a second loss and all the pain that came with it. Both had fallen into a deep depression after that, and she didn't want that to happen again.

Neesy and Dorea were very diligent with her potions, vitamins, and nutrition. All her cravings were satisfied, and her food was the healthiest it had ever been. She had desires to eat things she didn't even like or tried to avoid as a health-conscious consumer. But her hormones wanted chips, salted caramel popcorn, steak with all the fat attached, fried chicken, ice cream, the works. This was also making her husband suspicious. With Ajax, all she craved were sweet things. She went through bar after bar of chocolate, lots of syrup, fudge, etc.

Emma went through paperwork for the Hospital. Construction was underway. They were now reviewing resumes from potential healers, doctors (with magical family members), magizoologists, potioneers, etc. Some were quite impressive. She was now sending letters to schedule interviews. Ted had made sure they had ironclad NDAs. The Potters had managed to get a few significant donations. Lily's research on balancing electricity and magical energy had been most helpful in making sure the hospital had both the capacity to use technology and heal with magic. They would have their own pharmacy and laboratories to create and deliver their medicines.

Daniel Granger was worried. His wife was acting strangely. He had his suspicions as to what could be happening, but he wouldn't push her. He did try to make sure she ate right. Since her tastebuds were acting up, he wanted to make sure she was still well-nourished. At first, he thought anemia, but now… with the odd food choices, he thought she was either pregnant or had a different hormonal imbalance. She wouldn't get tested. This made him even more suspicious. He decided to make sure she knew she could tell him anything without fear. Losing Ajax had been their worst nightmare. However, they were stronger now and had a larger family they could count on for help.

Mrs. Granger was surprised when her husband asked her out to dinner. Since the dinner fiasco, when Martin got hurt, they did not go out to restaurants anymore. They would usually order to their office and then take it home. They were using their small practice as an office for all things Project Hospital now. Cassandra had gone to stay at Dan's parents. She was a bit too overwhelmed to stay at the manor, but she promised to come back for Christmas to see her niece. They were at a Chinese restaurant they used to frequent when they were dating. Daniel seemed to take into consideration that she wanted unhealthy things to eat.

She ordered her favorite, most unhealthy choice, and a soda, and stared at her husband, who simply ordered a soup and green tea. His eyebrows did go up when she requested the soda, but he said nothing.

"Love, why are we here?" Emma asked, grabbing his hand.

"Well, I want you to know that you don't have to keep secrets from me. Although I feel it is quite a shock that I need to tell you this so many years into our marriage," Daniel smiled lightly.

Emma took a deep breath. "I know that." She should have known that he would make her talk sooner or later. Her own mother had warned her that he would find out and be cross that she didn't let him know immediately.

"Then why are you hiding things from me, love?" Daniel sounded a bit hurt at this.

"Please don't get mad at me… I just… I didn't-" Emma dissolved into tears. Bloody hormones!

He moved to her booth and held her gently, "Shhh, darling, I am not mad. I am worried about you…"

"I-I just don't want you to get h-hurt when things don't work out…" Emma touched his face slowly in between sobs.

"When? What do you-?"

"I am pregnant," Emma sighed, looking down.

"You are sure?" Dan asked with a shaky voice. Suspecting Emma was pregnant was not the same as being certain she indeed was.

"Yes, I went to the Ob-Gyn, and Neesy confirmed it too…"

"Neesy knows?!" Daniel's eyes widened.

"Yes, she actually knew before I said anything. Apparently, it's an elf thing. I didn't really understand. She told me I should not be using the floo because when a woman is pregnant, she gets extra dizzy when traveling that way."

Daniel had an aha moment. "That's why Dorea has been bringing you to the office with Apparition, right?"

"Yes," she blushed.

"So Dory knows too?" he seemed a bit less at ease.

"And my mom… but no one else knows, Dan. I'm sorry. I have no excuse... Other than I needed female support," Emma took his other hand.

Daniel counted back from ten to one, keeping his face neutral. He didn't appreciate three people knowing before him, the father. Still, as a doctor, he understood her need to have the care of other females who actually understood what she was going through on a biological level. "I understand. I just wished you would have wanted my support too."

"I do… I really do," Emma stopped talking as a server came back with their drinks and a basket of bread and butter. Daniel thanked him, and Emma carried on, "I just didn't want you to go through everything we went through with Ajax again, love."

Daniel sighed. He pulled Emma to his lap and held her. "If, not when, but IF anything goes wrong… We will be there for each other, just like we have been there in the past. But we will do better this time," he kissed her temple. "We have magic on our side... and a lovely huge family that will be there for us."

"Are you happy about this?" Emma asked in little more than a whisper.

"Of course, but I am just following your cues. I don't want to be too excited about this if you don't want to be too excited about this, love," he reasoned.

Emma marveled at how her husband knew just the right thing to say. "I am excited about this, but I just don't want another disappointment…" Emma sighed into her husband's chest. Daniel kissed the top of her head, and then the two began eating and sharing their meals with each other.

"Love, I want to know everything about this from now on. No more secrets."

"No more secrets. I have an appointment next week to discuss birthing plans."

"Write it on our joint calendar. I'll come with," Dan smiled and took a spoonful of the delicious soup.

Both spouses felt much better now. They even shared a high-calorie tempura ice cream concoction. Dan stood up to pay the bill. When he came back with the receipt and the complimentary rice candy, he felt a cold chill down his spine. The Old-Lady version of Neesy was coming into the restaurant, and her expression was of extreme concern.

"Neesy, what happened?"

"Master Harry and Mistress Hermione are hurt. Master Charlus said to come and get you so you can all go to Hogwarts," the elf said hurriedly.

Each doctor took one of Neesy's wrinkly arms, and she took them into a dark alley nearby where she apparated away to the manor. The Grangers said a short prayer that whatever happened wasn't too serious.

A/N: Thank you for reading! :) I hope you are all safe and healthy. I've been a bit under the weather, but luckily I had a bit of time to finish this... I had a very long chapter that I had to split. I'll upload the next one as soon as I am able to. -Lux-