Chapter 15:
It had been a while since the meeting and Severus had been called to random Death eater meetings leaving Hermione by herself, mind you, she alerted Odessa since the first one but she still sat alone. She didn't know what to do so most of the time she read and triple checked her homework. He was always there before she went to bed and always there when she woke up. However there was this one particular morning in which Severus had warned her that he had a meeting with the Headmaster early in the morning, therefore long before she awoke. It was this particular morning that she felt nauseous, she ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach. She decided to go see Poppy before her husband returned, and Poppy confirmed that she was pregnant. She was so excited but she didn't know how to tell him, it was time to call in the experts: Odessa, Minerva and her Mother. Hermione sent notes to all of her teachers informing them that she didn't feel well and they all replied that they hoped she felt better; Severus was a bit harder to get out of the rooms but she convinced him that her mother was coming to see her so she would be well looked after. After he was gone, they used Minerva's first free period to talk. So here sat the four women talking and catching up.
"So Hermione, why is it that you called us all here?" Her mother asked.
"Yes I am quite curious myself," Odessa said.
"Is everything alright Hermione?" Minerva questioned.
"Yes everything is fine, I just have a bit of news, and I don't know how to break it to Severus, and I need your help."
"What news?" they all asked.
"Well, Minerva, you got my note that also stated that I wouldn't be in class because I felt ill?" Minerva nodded. "Well I was this morning, and when I went to Poppy to get a check up, she informed me that the nausea would end in about a month or two." The three women looked nervous as to the young girl's condition, "Why do you all look so scared, Mom, how long did your morning sickness last?"
"I don't remember, for all of you, when I was pregnant with you and Ly, I was sick for about two months and with your brothers about two and a half why?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her mother's question, and then the clues finally dawned on her mother's face.
"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Hermione smiled and nodded in excitement. The women squealed and hugged her.
"So why can't you tell Severus what is going on?" Odessa asked.
"As I told you before, I'm scared of what he will say."
"Hermione, darling, there is something I have to tell you."
"What?"
"Severus came to my husband and I about a week after you came to us to talk, and he said some things."
"What kind of things?"
"He doesn't know how to approach you about starting your family."
Tears came to her eyes, "Really?"
"Yes dear, he is ready."
They talked about how she was going to tell her husband and then she decided that she was going to tell him in two days, the day after he has his big midterm tests.
Hermione returned to her classes as if nothing had happened and life was almost back to normal, minus the morning sickness. Two days passed with a blink of an eye and that night, she waited for Severus to get back from his early evening rounds. As she read on the couch, he came bursting in the door; he didn't even stop to talk to her. He went straight for his rooms to his wardrobe and took out his death eater robes.
"Where are you going?"
"I am being summoned."
"But you said we could talk."
"Hermione, is it life or death?"
"Not really."
"Then we can talk about it when I get back." He finished getting dressed and then turned to her, kissing her lightly on the lips he said, "I will be back before the night is over, if I'm not call Albus."
"Ok." She watched him leave, she waited for five hours, then she began to panic, then she ran and summoned the first two people that she could think of.
"Mother?" Odessa appeared in the room, "Mother, can you and Father come through please?"
"Hermione, dear what is it?"
"I can't…" tears started to show in her eyes.
"Ok, dear, back up and Ryon and I will come through." Hermione nodded and her head was gone. Five minutes later, Odessa appeared followed closely by Ryon. Hermione sat on the couch with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Hermione, dear what's the matter?" Odessa asked.
"I have to summon Albus…"
"Hermione, let an elf do it, Snezor?" an elf appeared in front of them. "Please go retrieve the headmaster and the deputy headmistress please." The elf bowed and left the family.
"Hermione, what is going on?"
Hermione looked at her father in law before she said, "What time is it?"
"It's one in the morning."
"I can't believe that he isn't back yet, he promised!"
"Hermione calm down! Why don't we wait for Albus before we continue this conversation?" No sooner had the words come out of her mouth did the fire roar and through the flames stepped Albus and Minerva. Hermione explained that Severus had been summoned and if he was gone longer than the rest of the night that she should call Albus.
"I was supposed to tell him tonight." She stared off into space. "What if I don't ever get to tell him, what if he doesn't come home?" She started to get hysterical.
"Hermione you have to calm down, you have to think of the baby, if you get too over emotional, you could harm it."
'Baby?' Ryon mouthed to Minerva, who nodded.
"I can't calm down! After that first summons, Severus has always been home before I go to bed, and now he's not!" She started to cry as she leaned onto Odessa. After ten minutes she calmed down enough to talk.
"Hermione dear why don't you lay your head down and relax, I'll wake you when he gets home." She summoned a pillow and laid it in her lap.
Hermione nodded her head and lay her head down in Odessa's lap. She quickly fell asleep, the other's looked on with worry, she was right, and Severus had never been gone that long.