Author's Notes: Thank you guys for your reviews.

Hermione had been staying with Severus for almost two weeks now. He watched her and cared for her constantly. Her nightmares were regular, they came very night without fail and he would go to her side and hold her until she fell asleep. She had told him that he kept away her nightmares, so he made it a habit to lie beside her until she fell asleep. Sometimes he would hold her hand and watch the gently rise and fall of her chest. He never stayed with her until morning though, he felt it would be improper to sleep the whole night in her bed. He has started giving her small doses of dreamless to lessen them, but even then she was still haunted. Hermione had changed so much, there was no longer a gleam in her eye, she rarely smiled, and seemed to hold all of her emotions inside.

Harry and Ron visited her often, they tried to brink the old Hermione back but quickly realized she wasn't ready to come out yet. They still came though and told her of all the things that were happening and of all the latest gossip. She would listen, sometimes smiling and laughing, other times staring blankly into space and looking as if she wasn't taking in anything they were saying. Severus had to admit though, that they were indeed very loyal friends. She had not spoken one word of her rape to anyone. Severus never brought it up either, he knew she would shrink back into herself and some of her progress would be reversed.

She spent hours in the library reading; those were the only times she seamed happy. Her eyes seemed to light up again and her face glowed with an aura of contentment. He enjoyed watching her immensely and his sole purpose in life had became caring for her. She rarely left his chambers unless he accompanied her, they would go on strolls across the grounds and he even took her to visit Hagrid (though there was much pleading involved). She grew uneasy when he was away, he could tell, and though that made some small part of him happy because it showed she cared for him in some way, it also saddened him to know that the once spirited, independent woman couldn't survive on her own. She had been through so much, he didn't know if she would ever be the same. She was haunted by the memories in her mind, swirling darkly around her, waiting for their chance to make an appearance.

He was still drawn to her in that indescribable way and was having a tough time holding back his true emotions for her whilst still being the loving company that she needed. She flitted in and out of his dreams every night, a beautiful aura of light that he chased endlessly after. He wanted nothing more in the world than to hold her in his arms and call her his own. Severus had stopped trying to suppress his own feelings thought he would never admit them to Hermione, he knew it was no good. She flitted

That particular morning Hermione woke up to a severe headache coupled with extreme nausea. She felt as if her head might split in two at any moment.

She staggered from her room into the bathrooms, where she washed cold water on her face to relieve the pain. It was to no avail though. She felt worse than ever.

"Severus, I feel horrible." Hermione said clutching her head. "I think I need to visit the hospital wing."

Severus leapt up and quickly escorted her to the hospital wing, glaring at all the students he passed. It had become a well known fact that Hermione Granger was now at Hogwarts, rooming with the none other than the potions master, and as usual the rumors were running rampant. No one dared approach Hermione though, the look on Severus' face was enough to scare anyone away.

Severus burst into the hospital wing with Hermione in tow. Madame Pomfrey gave him a stern look and told him to hush while she talked to Hermione.

"I don't know what's wrong really." Hermione said with a pained look on her face. "I just woke up this morning and felt as if someone was trying to hammer my head open, I have an awful stomach ache as well."

Madame Pomfrey clucked sympathetically and told Hermione to lie down on one of the hospital beds. Hermione dreaded being back here, but she had to do something to relieve her terrible headache. Madame Pomfrey handed her a cup of steaming liquid that looked quite foul and had an intense chemical smell emanating from it. She wrinkled her nose in distaste but drank it anyways. Immediately she felt as if cool cloths had been placed on her forehead easing the pain, the nausea that had resided in her stomach was also abating as well. Hermione smiled at Madame Pomfrey and then rose as if to leave but was pushed smartly back down onto the bed by Madame Pomfrey.

"Not right now dear." She said. "I think a few more test need to be done."

Hermione looked slightly puzzled and Severus looked at Madame Pomfrey suspiciously but said nothing.

Madame Pomfrey then took out her wand, which was short and stout and muttered a spell that was not audible to Hermione's ears. She immediately felt a wonderful warming sensation rushing into her tummy, she looked down and saw that her stomach had began to glow, an ethereal light emitting from it. A small golden orb then rose from haze and glowed softly a foot above her stomach. Madame Pomfrey dropped her wand and the warming sensation bled away, leaving her feeling chilled. Madame Pomfrey then fixed Hermione with a solemn look.

"I am afraid my suspicions have just been confirmed." Madame Pomfrey stated. "You are with child."

Authors Note's: Dont forget to read and review!