Hermione felt like she had spent the night drinking. Maybe that's why she felt like garbage, she had been out chugging back firewhiskey and all of the events that were groggily making their way into her conscious were just an hallucination. As she opened one eye and then the other, she took in her surroundings. White walls, single chair pushed up against the side wall, the place looked familiar but her mind didn't want to focus enough to concentrate. The door across from her opened and a friendly looking woman in green Healer robes came in. Ahh, that must me it, she was at St Mungo's. How on earth did she get here? She recalled Ron and Theo coming in to her flat last night and her speaking to Ron briefly, but everything else was murky.

'Good morning Miss Granger.'

Hermione looked at the badge on the robes of the woman in front of her, it read Bulstrode.

'Millicent?'

'Yes, we went to Hogwarts together.' The woman gave Hermione a a warm smile.

'Well then, please call me Hermione.'

'Very well, Hermione. How are you feeling?'

'Groggy, my brain feels like it's full of cotton.'

'Yes, I am afraid that is part of the potion we gave you to sedate and alleviate the pain. You should feel better after some food.'

'Ok, thank you.' Hermione looked down at her left hand for the first time and felt an ache in her heart. There was an ugly scar that travelled around her finger as she noticed, turning her hand over.

'Yes, I am afraid there isn't much I can do about that. You are aware you were hit with a Quid Mei curse?'

Hermione nodded, still looking at her hand.

'The curse was also laced with blood magic.'

This brought Hermione out of her daze, her head shot up and looked Millicent in the eye. 'Dark blood magic.' Hermione recalled Draco yelling at his mother before they all left her flat

'Yes, dark blood magic. Something that has been banned by the ministry for some time now. I have reversed the effects of the curse itself, but with the addition of the blood magic, I am afraid your scar could be something you carry for life.'

'Thank you Millicent, I am familiar with the effects of blood magic.' Hermione turned her arm over to reveal the letters carved on her forearm.

'Yes, I see, well Hermione there is something else that I needed to speak to you about in regards to the results of your scan. I'm not sure how else to tell you, but the scans showed you are pregnant. Not very far along, perhaps about 4 weeks.'

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but no words came to her. Her hand reached to her stomach as she processed the news Millicent had just passed on to her.

'That's impossible.'

'Are you sexually active Hermione?'

'Excuse me?'

'It's a simple question, if you are sexually active, becoming pregnant is always a possibility.'

'Right, well, has the, you know, fetus been affected by the curse?' Hermione didin't know why, but this thought troubled her.

'No, thankfully. The curse had not spread past your arm when Mr Weasley brought you in.' Millicent sat on the edge of Hermione's bed. 'I have administered the counter curse, but I am going to be completely honest with you, no one can say for sure the effects of the blood magic. It's volatility is part of the reason it was banned. I can tell you now your energy levels are low, which in turn means your magic is weak as well. You need to take some time off to recouperate.'

'Are you sure?'

'Oh yes, there were still traces of the blood magic in you when you came in.'

'Not about the curse, about the pregnancy?'

'Oh, yes, that. Yes, but I can perform the scan again now that you are conscious so you can see.'

'No, that won't be necessary, I believe you. I simply can't take the time off though.'

'I am sorry Hermione, Healer's orders, if you don't take the time to rest now, you may never fully recouperate. I will be giving you a prescription as well as a note to have you off for at least 6 weeks. I want you to take the potions I am giving you and come back in 6 weeks for further scans. As far as the pregnancy, I can refer you to obstetrics so you can set everything up with them.'

'Thank you Millicent, you have done a great job.'

'Just listen to your body and only do what you feel you can.' Millicent patted Hermione's leg and with that she got up and headed out of the room, leaving Hermione to think about everything she had just been told. She absentmindedly stroked her currently flat stomach as she tried to figure out what she would do for 6 weeks.

Ron and Harry arrived moments after Millicent left the room. The both quickly strode across to embrace their friend warmly.

'Oh Mione, I am so glad to see you awake!' Harry was so relieved that Hermione was conscious now. 'Can you tell us anything?'

'Well it seems that there was blood magic, in addition to the Quid Mei curse.'

'I am getting the feeling that a ferret is going to be skinned alive today.' Ron started pacing the room as he spoke.

'Please, don't.' Both men stared at Hermione in shock.

'You can't possibly be thinking of allowing Malfoy to live after all of this.' Ron gestured to Hermione's hand.

'Hermione, he deserves to be tried for the use of a banned magic. You can't possibly be thinking of letting him go free.' Harry may have been the less vengeful friend, but he wasn't above serving justice.

'That is exactly what I am intending to do, let him go.' Hermione looked away quickly as tears surfaced. She took a few deep breaths before continuing. 'Besides, Draco had nothing to do with the curse, he is as much a victim as I am. There is nothing that can be done. The curse is like an unbreakable vow, if he does not follow through with the marriage and provide an heir, they will both die. I will not have his blood on my hands.'

'I don't have a problem having his blood on my hands.' Ron muttered loudly.

'You aren't helping Ron!' Harry could not believe Hermione was giving up. 'Mione, are you sure?

'Yes, please. I just want to put this behind me. Now will you both sit, we need to talk. Millicent found something else in her scans and I am going to need your full support.'

Ron and Harry sat on either side of Hermione's feet.

'What is it Mione? Is everything ok?' Harry was running through every scenario in his head, fearing the worst.

'I don't know that I would call everything ok, but take a deep breath Harry, I am pregnant, not dying.'