A/N- Well, obviously, finishing this before the deadline did not pan out for me. I'm sorry. However, I'm trying to get all my fanfics update to a recent date, especially those I have who still have 06 at the end of their last update date. Now, I am combining chapters 5 and 6, so now this fic is outlined for 10 chapters. Anyhow, on with the show!

Chapter 5- Surprises

"Where are we going, 'Mione?" Le-Annette asked.

Currently, the vampiric Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was being led by the hand down to some unknown destination in the dungeons. Her free hand was resting on her now bulging belly. Her preternatural senses, as of late, were not what they usually were. She was finding them quite dulled down. So Le-Annette was watching every step she took closely, for fear of falling. She remembered doing this the last time she was pregnant as well.

"Into the dungeons, of course, Aunt Le-Annette," Hermione replied.

"I can see that," she said, bitter sarcasm giving her words an edge.

Hermione looked back at her and smiled brightly. She picked up her pace slightly as she led her supernatural aunt around a corner.

At first, when Hermione had come to Le-Annette at this late hour of the night—and it was very late, especially since she had had no class with the vampire this evening—she had almost given the girl a detention. Hermione stopped this by saying that she had permission and showing her a signed letter by Professor McGonagall. So, Le-Annette had foolishly allowed to have herself led out of the relative comfort of her classroom into some dank, dark dungeon setting.

Finally, the two women came to a stop before a molding, wooden door. Le-Annette raised her eyebrow. She opened her mouth, about to ask why on earth she was here, when Hermione cut her off.

"Close your eyes," the young student ordered.

"Wasn't I supposed to do that earlier?"

"Well, I couldn't very well lead a pregnant woman down a bunch of stairs with her eyes closed, now could I? Just close them!"

Sighing, Le-Annette allowed her eyelids to drop. She felt a quick breeze over her face, telling her that Hermione had just waved her hand in front of her face.

"My eyes are closed, Hermione. Do get on with this, please," she said.

"How did you kno—oh, right. Okay. Here we go!"

The vampire heard the door creak open. At first, there was nothing. And then—

"Surprise!!" a collection of female voices shouted.

Her eyes flew open to see a group, with Hermione at the head of them, of women ranging from students to her fellow professors. All of them wore light pink and blue party hats and were holding brightly wrapped gifts. The room around them held a table full of cups ready to be filled with the punch they set by, a cake by the punch, and lots of blue and pink crepe paper. Behind the group hung a banner decorated with storks carrying babies.

"Oh my God! What is all this?" Le-Annette asked, a smile curling her lips skyward.

"Well, sorry that it took us so long to get to this," Hermione began. "But we all felt you deserved a baby shower."

With the tension given to them by the possible threat of an imminent attack by Voldemort, Le-Annette had passed into her eighth month of pregnancy without much thought, other than those concerning the healthiness of her unborn child. She had not expected anyone to think to give her a shower, as she had never really had one before. Her old friends had never been the types to throw a party of any kind. She felt tears of joy and gratefulness fill her eyes and spill over onto her cheeks. Hermione's eyes widened as she jumped forward to hug her aunt.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Le-Annette said, wiping the happy tears away. "This is just so beautiful."

This brought a chorus of "aw" from the group. Hermione turned away and began to point out the people she had invited to the party. Of students, Lavender Brown, the Patil twins, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, Ginny Weasley, and a few others had attended. Of professors, McGonagall, Sprout, Trelawney, and Sinestra were among the throng. Hermione guided Le-Annette to a chair, and said, "Let's start with presents!"

Squeals issued from the students, and Le-Annette could have sworn she heard a few from the teachers as well. Soon, the vampire's lap was full of colorfully wrapped presents.

"We know that you and Professor Snape have decided to keep the sex of the baby a secret. So we did both blues and pinks!" Lavender announced as she happily plopped a bag done in those precise colors on her teacher's lap.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Brown. Thank you all," Le-Annette said, beginning to tear at one of the presents.

…………………

The party ended some time after midnight. Much after midnight. Le-Annette had sent for Severus to gather the presents for her, as she really didn't feel well. He did so, a bit grumpy to be awakened at such an ungodly hour, but if he did any complaining, it was not to her face.

The couple, because they were not truly still involved with one another, still retained their separate rooms in the castle. Just because Le-Annette was having a baby didn't mean that they wanted to continue their relationship. In fact, both had agreed to take it very slow from here on out.

Lost in thought about the whole Severus/Child incident that Le-Annette found herself in the middle of, she came to a stop halfway up a flight of stairs that were heading out of the dungeon. She stopped to listen, because she thought she had heard one of her student's voices. Straining her ears, she tried to hear it again.

Damn this, Le-Annette thought, cursing her dormant vampire abilities.

"Professor Zachary!" a small, female voice cried from behind her.

"Lavender?" Le-Annette answered, trying to identify the voice.

At first, there was nothing. Only her own echo answered the vampire. Then, quite suddenly, Lucius Malfoy stepped out from the shadows. Le-Annette stood ready to defend herself, knowing full well that with her baby in her womb she couldn't. And Malfoy knew it. He laughed darkly as he lunged, cupping his hands about her mouth and holding her arms back.

"And I thought vampires were supposed to have super-strength or something," he mocked, motioning to someone else in the shadows.

Le-Annette never got to see who it was in the shadows, because at the moment, they cast the stunning spell, and her world went black.

End Notes: What do Voldemort's plans have in store for Le-Annette and her child? Find out next chapter!