****Still don't own Harry Potter or any of the recognizable characters...much to my disappointment****

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

It seemed that before I knew it, my baby bump was starting to show and it was time for Christmas break. I hadn't gotten Severus' Christmas gift. I had a few ideas as to what to get him, but I needed Hermione's help for that. I quickly scribbled a note for Hermione to come to my rooms that afternoon and sent it off with Severus' owl, Artemis. I didn't have to wait long for a response from Hermione and it was decided to go right away to Hogsmeade while our husbands were busy with classes for the rest of the day.

I met Hermione at the Entrance Hall to walk down to Hogsmeade together.

"Hermione!" I said cheerfully as I ran to hug her.

"Oh, Elle! I have so much to tell you! I can't remember the last time I was able to chat with you," she said.

"It's been far too long. Let's start walking and we can chat on the way," I said while walking to the doors.

"That sounds perfect. So, what is new in the fascinating life of Elle and Severus?" she asked.

"Well, I found out that I'm pregnant," I told her happily.

"Are you really?" she asked in disbelief.

I smiled and nodded my answer.

She smiled in response. "That's amazing. I just found out that I'm pregnant, too," she said.

"That's great! Our Slytherin men must have strong swimmers," I joked.

"They must. How far along are you?" she asked, blushing.

"I'm about 12 weeks in, give or take a few days. What about you?"

"Just about 8 weeks," she responded.

I smiled widely at her. "I'm so excited for you!"

"Thank you. Now, have you figured out what you want to get for Pro…Severus?" she asked.

"I've been looking into getting him a rare copy of a potions book or something like that. I ended up finding back issues of Potions Weekly that he doesn't have. I really hope he likes it. They go back to the early 1600s and I got a couple years' worth. I figure that I can keep adding to this each Christmas or until he gets bored with that as a gift," I told her.

"It sounds like you put a lot of thought into that. He will quite enjoy it, I'm sure," Hermione assured me.

We walked the rest of the way into Hogsmeade, stopping by Scrivenshaft's to pick up some ink and parchment for our classes. We decided to stop by Blandley's, the small bookstore in which I had ordered Severus' gift, next.

As we stepped out of Blandley's, I noticed Hermione's eyes light up in recognition.

"Ron!" she yelled at a redheaded wizard across the street. "Elle, come meet my friend Ron," she said quickly as she dragged me behind her.

"Ron, I've missed you! I haven't seen you in so long. Why haven't you come to visit me and Harry? How is quidditch? Who have you married? Oh, I've missed you!" Hermione said so quickly it was hard to comprehend.

"Hermione. I've come to see if it's true. I couldn't believe when Harry owled me and told me you'd married Malfoy. I had to come prove to myself that it's not real. There's no way you could have married the ferret," Ron responded snidely.

Hermione seemed taken aback by Ron's words.

"I'm afraid it's true, Ron. We were paired for the Marriage Law by the Ministry. We didn't have a choice, but he seems to have changed for the better," she told him meekly.

"What? Are you kidding me? What about me? You should have chosen prison or life as a muggle rather than marry that stupid ferret!" He yelled.

"What about you? We tried dating. It didn't work. You were too distracted by your adoring fans to even notice your girlfriend. I thought we agreed that we were better off as friends. And you'd really rather that I was in prison and a muggle than marry Draco?" Hermione asked, close to tears.

"Obviously. How could you betray Harry like that?" Ron asked, incensed.

"Ron, the war is over. He wasn't a Death Eater. How am I betraying Harry?" Hermione was starting to get angry.

"I can't even look at you right now. I feel like I don't even know you. Next thing I know, you'll tell me you're pregnant with his spawn," Ron spat.

"And what if I am? That's the whole point of the Marriage Law! To rebuild our society!" Hermione yelled.

Ron looked livid. Hermione took a breath to calm herself before continuing. "He's changed Ron. He's not the same person he was in school. He's good to me. He treats me well and I know that once our baby comes, he will be a good father. Both Draco and Professor Snape are different from how they were when we were in school," she told him.

"Snape? How the hell is that greasy git not in jail?" Ron yelled.

I couldn't take the yelling anymore. "Hey now! That so called greasy git is my husband and he's a good man!" I angrily said.

"Married? He escapes prison and he's married? Don't tell me you're carrying his spawn too!" Ron spat.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am carrying Severus' child. Now, if you're going to stand here and yell at us and keep degrading our husbands, then we don't need to be here. I've got much better things to be doing than listening to your whining." I told him simply.

I grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her away from the irate Ron Weasley.

"Thanks for that, Elle. I don't know what's gotten into him," Hermione said.

"Well, he doesn't matter Hermione. What matters is that you're happy with Draco and that I'm happy with Severus and they treat us how we should be treated," I told her.

"You're right," she said.

As I was about to respond, I felt something hit my back and my world went black.