Well... Trying to bring myself out of a painful break-up. I hope that getting back to writing helps. Please, read and review.

Chapter 34

Nayeli stared at Kathryn, mouth agape. Kathryn was gawking down at the blue light shining from the tip of her wand, unable to process the startling information. She'd cast the spell perfectly and recited the incantation as clearly as she could, despite being nervous to high hell, so they knew it couldn't be reading things wrong.

Yet… there it was, that terrifying blue cloud of doom.

"You're pregnant, Kathryn." Nayeli muttered, still trying to believe it herself.

Kathryn's arm dropped, and her wand slipped from her fingers. It clattered on the stone floor of the girl's bathroom. They'd locked the door to make sure that no one could come in, but in the back of Kathyrn's baffled mind, she worried that the other girls would be pressed against the door, wondering why the hell it was locked to begin with.

Kathryn's legs were shaking, and she fell to her knees. She shifted to sit down and lean against the wall. Her eyes wandered to find her wand, and she glared at it. It was such a stern, fierce glare, it even scared Nayeli a little bit.

She'd been such a fool. How could she have thought that magic was infallible? Of course there was risk of pregnancy, no matter what. They could have used condoms, or she could have at least been on the pill, but no. She'd put too much trust in her newfound power, and it'd let her down. She was being forced to fall from grace.

She closed her eyes and felt her throat tighten in guilt, and an unsettling anger rise within her chest as she thought maybe Severus had cast the spell wrong.

She shook her head. Severus had been too careful to do that, and, he had two professors for fathers. No doubt they'd drilled it into his head correctly. There was no way he could have fucked up.

She crawled over to her wand, snatched it up, and held it in both hands, ready to snap the cursed thing. Nayeli jumped and cried out a terrified "don't do that", reaching out to her. Kathryn stopped, and realized what she was about to do. She threw it with all her might against the wall in front of her. It clattered off the tank of the toilet and landed in the bowl with a splash.

You fucked up, you stupid girl. Your life is over. You'll be kicked out. You harlot. Severus will leave you. You disgusting girl. You fool. If your father was alive, he'd detest you too. You slut. You shameful girl. Her thoughts raced, and she buried her head, holding it and shaking it. She began to sob, wanting the voice to go away.

It didn't. The voice, now mimicking the Madame's, grew stronger, shaming her, insulting her.

Kathryn didn't realize that she began to speak, revealing the voice's terrible words.

Nayeli knelt down beside Kathryn and shook her.

"What the hell are you babbling about, Kathryn? That's bullshit and you know it! I don't know what Hogwarts will do, but Severus would never leave you! You're his world!" Nayeli spat, trying to shed light on Kathryn's dark thoughts.

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Hey, are you guys alright? Are you done? Come on, I gotta pee!" A first-year's voice whined from outside. Kathryn snapped at the voice before she could stop herself.

"Use the boy's bathroom!" She barked, glaring at the door. Her face was red, and her eyes were puffy. She was a total mess.

"But… it's dirty! What if a boy walks in?" The voice argued. Kathryn subconsciously gripped Nayeli's arm in rage. Nayeli winced.

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!" She bellowed at the door.

The first year on the other side of the door jumped and took off to use the boy's bathroom, not wanting to deal with whatever was going on in there.

Nayeli waited, listening for any more eavesdroppers, before turning to Kathryn. Kathryn had calmed down and was staring off into space. Her eyes drooped and she looked exhausted. Nayeli sighed, and picked Kathryn up.

Kathryn began to protest, squirming around.

"Put me down, damnit. You don't need to carry me. I… I'll do it myself." She argued. Nayeli shrugged and put Kathryn down.

"Do what yourself?" Nayeli asked. Kathryn sighed, and stared at the door. Nayeli nodded; she understood. Kathryn would have to face the people outside, and bear the load of shame that Nayeli could only imagine about.

"Don't care about them, Kathryn. They don't mean anything to you. Severus, Mom, Dad, Draco, and I, We matter… right? So, if they do find out, who gives a damn what they say?" She stated, trying to give Kathryn a little courage. It helped a little bit, though Kathryn's mind and heart still weighed heavy.

Without another word, Kathryn stepped towards the door and set her hand on the handle. Nayeli cast a Wingardium Leviosa spell on Kathryn's wand, guided it to the sink, and rinsed it off, drying it with a paper towel. She handed it to Kathryn, who was still standing at the door, hand on the brass handle.

She turned the handle and opened the door, amazed at how heavy it seemed to be, even though it was a light door.

She stopped and turned to Nayeli, took her wand and muttered a soft "thank you".

Instead of walking to the bedrooms, Kathryn walked to the Gryffindor Entrance.

"Where are you going?" Nayeli asked, confused. Kathryn stopped, and turned to her slowly. Kathryn seemed extremely ghastly, and it sent a chill down Nayeli's spine.

For a walk? To see Severus? Both of these responses flashed in her mind, but she couldn't say them. In all honesty, she wasn't sure where she was going. She just needed to get as far away from here as she could.

"Are you ok?" Nayeli asked, a nervous chuckle at Kathryn's creepy-as-hell actions. Kathryn stared at Nayeli, a slightly irate glint in her eye. Slowly, she nodded.

"I'm… going to see Severus." She muttered blankly, just to give a response.

"Do you want me to go with you?" She asked. Kathryn slowly shook her head no. She wasn't even sure if she had shaken her head.

"It is… something between the two of us." She muttered.

It seemed her mind had been made up for now, as far as her destination.

Kathryn turned back around slowly, and left, leaving a very perturbed Nayeli alone in the cold common room.

She wandered the halls slowly, avoiding other people's gazes, not paying attention when Lily called out a "good morning" to her. Lily had even waved, and paused when Kathryn was not returning the gesture. As she watched Kathryn walk slowly by, she caught a better look. The sight was incredibly eerie.

Lily figured that maybe Kathyrn had had a rough night, and just needed some breakfast to pep up. Yup, that was all.

The chill of the dungeons didn't register against Kathryn's already cool and clammy skin as she made her way to the Slytherin commons. The guard at the entrance was also unnerved, and didn't even bother asking for the password. It was obvious that she needed Severus's comfort.

She knocked once on the door before opening it. She stepped inside, muted the room, and locked the door. Severus sat up, as he was still sleeping.

"Good mor…ning?" He began, his voice turning to one of confusion as he saw the state she was in. She was so pale she could give a ghost a run for their money. He moved over in his bed and pulled back the covers, inviting her into the warmth of his bed.

She blinked, and stared. Now that she was here, could she tell him? How could she tell him?

When she didn't move, he stood and walked up to her, holding out his hand. He could definitely tell that something was wrong. She must have had one hell of a nightmare, he thought.

As she watched him offer her his hand to take, the tears began to spill from her eyes, and she stumbled forward and rested her head against his chest. When her knees began to shake, he picked her up and carried her to his bed, crawling in beside her and hugging her around the middle, rubbing her back.

He listened to her cry and waited it out, though, something was different this time. It wasn't a cry of relief, or the occasional sniffle she'd get every once in a while, or from something as scary as a nightmare. It was full of pain. An intensely deep hurt, as though something had gone horribly wrong.

"Kathryn…" He started. He didn't want to ask "what's wrong"—he wondered if that was too insensitive at this particular moment. "Are you ok" was out of the question, because with the way she was crying, she was definitely not ok. He also had the gut feeling that there was something that she needed to tell him, but, knowing her, it would take her a while, either for the right words, or for the courage.

No matter. He'd wait.

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, motioning that he was here, and that he was ready to listen whenever she was ready to talk.

What seemed like 15 minutes passed before she spoke up, keeping her face hidden in his chest.

"Severus?" She began, not looking at him. She kept a stern gaze at a random space at the other side of the room. Her voice was at a whisper, hinting towards fear.

"Hm?" He pulled his quilt up around her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head again.

"I..." She began, her voice trailing off. He didn't hear her, and wasn't sure if she'd said anything at all.

"You can tell me." He stated, trying to ignore the intense gut feeling he had.

Kathryn took a deep breath.

"I'm… gonna have… your baby." She said slowly, still not believing it herself. Severus paused in stroking her hair, and he felt her tense in fear.

He sat up and looked at her.

"What?" He asked, baffled. This wasn't a joke. She'd looked too distraught for it to be some kind of joke.

She sat back on her ankles, and avoided his eyes, nodding curtly.

"You can… see for yourself, if you don't… believe me." She muttered, for some reason, trying to prove to him that she wasn't kidding. Not that she would be kidding.

"I believe you. When did you… How long have you known?" He asked. She still didn't look at him, and hugged her arms around herself.

"This morning. I came here right after." She replied bluntly. Severus pulled her into a hug.

"I won't abandon you, I promise you that right now. I swear, we'll figure something out… We may be young, but… I really think we can make it, if you'll have me." He muttered, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

"W-what?" She muttered.

"I… Well, I… When we're done here… Would you… Will you marry me? I don't have a… ring right now, I was going to save up and—

-Yes." She stopped him, taking his hand in hers and placing a kiss on the back of it. He looked at her, shocked for a split second, and then ecstatic the next.

"Yes?" He grinned, his heart leaping into his throat.

She nodded, blushing and turning beet red. He pulled her close and kissed her, hugging her tightly.

"I fucking love you, Kathryn!" He blurted.

She smiled and chuckled at his cursing, and shifted to sit in his lap.

"I love you too, Severus. I'm more than happy to be a part of your family… no matter how scary your mother can be." She added as a bit of a joke.

Severus gasped, and his stomach sank, and he swore he could feel his colon tie itself in a square knot.

"Oh, God, what am I gonna tell my parents?" He blurted, a very terrified look on his face. Kathryn hugged him, and shook her head.

"I guess… We'll just have to tell it to them straight. No matter what, I'll stick with you." She promised. He took a few deep breaths, and leaned his head down, kissing her lovingly. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly as she melted into his warm embrace.

Perhaps, things wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought.

Encouragement is always appreciated... please, let me know what you think.