True to her prediction, Hermione's belly 'popped' about three weeks after the wedding, and it grew significantly over the following week. Although still just a small pouch, it was as if she swallowed a balloon. Teddy loved it once he noticed it and was unable to keep his hands off her belly during meals. Each time he would see her he would worm his way into the folds of her robes and say hello to the baby, making her smile and Remus grin.

She even saw Severus smirk once or twice.

One particular morning, eggs appeared in front of her and she instantly heaved into a conjured bucket, Severus holding her hair, rubbing circles into her back.

"Mini?"

"She's okay," Severus spoke for her with a soft chuckle, "Eggs don't agree with your cousin. Dotty!"

"Master Severus? Is Mistress Mia okay?"

"She needs something different for breakfast. No eggs, though, please."

Dotty disappeared quickly, a worried look on her face.

"The baby is my cousin?"

Hermione chuckled, sitting back up, "Yes, little wolf, the baby is your cousin." Looking at Severus, she smirked, "Thank you."

He shrugged, a small smile on his lips, "You warned me."

"I did, didn't I?" she laughed. "Still think it suits me?"

"Undoubtedly."

Her heart stopped as she heard the certainty behind his words and gave him a small smile when his cheeks pinkened slightly.

"Don't worry," she whispered, recovering quickly, "I won't tell anyone you said it." He let out a snort, his blush receding. Dotty reappeared with some waffles and Hermione all but moaned at the sight. "Dotty, you're wonderful."

The elf immediately perked up and smiled. "Anything for my mistress and the baby!" She did a small curtsy before disappearing again.

Turning back to her new breakfast Hermione dug in with vigor while the men around her watched her with amusement. Noticing Teddy giggling, she looked at him, "What little wolf?"

"You're eating faster than Dad before the moon," he giggled, making Severus and Remus snort with their own laughter.

Suddenly ashamed, she sat back, "Sorry," she dabbed her napkin on her chin, swallowing the sudden urge to cry. "I was really hungry," she tried to laugh, but Remus locked eyes with her and frowned, making her lip tremble. "I need to get to class," she planted a kiss on Teddy's head, "Have a good day, love."

Scurrying away, she abandoned her breakfast and quickly walked to her classroom, willing her hormones to settle.

She summoned Dotty and took her lunch in her office, but when she stood up to dismiss her final class, a wave of vertigo had her stumbling, and one of her students retreated back into the classroom to check on her.

"Professor Granger, are you alright?" she leaned on her desk, eyes closed. "Should I go get Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, no, thank you, Mr.," Hermione started, turning her head, she saw a seventh-year Slytherin, "Mr. Blakely, I'm alright. I'm just a bit dizzy. Thank you." Hermione took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"You're...ah," he blushed, "pregnant, right?" She nodded, suppressing a smirk, "Then please allow me to escort you to the Great Hall. Professor Snape would never forgive me if something happened to you on the way to dinner."

Hermione frowned at him, "What do you mean?"

Mr. Blakely smirked, "Please don't tell him I said this, but Professor Snape is a protective man, and I think he has a soft spot for you, Professor."

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"Come on, Professor, let's go to dinner," he held out his arm with a coy smile. I think I've divulged enough about my Head of House for one day."

Hermione snorted but took his arm and allowed him to help guide her to the Great Hall. When she tried to let go of his arm, he tightened it, and his smirk grew. He then proceeded to walk her past his own table towards her usual spot at the Professor's table.

Severus's eyebrows touched his hairline as they approached the table and Remus merely smiled.

"Mr. Blakely, did our Professor have an incident?" Remus asked through a chuckle.

"The Professor got a little dizzy after class," Hermione answered sarcastically. "Thank you, Mr. Blakely, I appreciate your assistance."

"Of course Professor Granger," he smiled turning back to the students tables but not before whispering in Severus's ear. When he left Severus turned to Hermione, his lips twitched up and she narrowed her gaze.

"You got dizzy?" she nodded. "Are you alright?" His concern stirred her hormones.

She nodded, "Yes but please, don't ask that again."

His eyebrows furrowed in added concern, "Can I ask why?"

"Your voice," she whispered, averting her gaze to look at Remus as Teddy buried his face in her robes to say 'hello'. "You," she pointed at Remus, "wipe that smirk off your face," she grumbled, turning back to her dinner after giving Teddy a kiss on the forehead.

"How was your day, Mione?" Remus asked, his grin spreading. "I see Mr. Blakely enjoyed your walk."

Hermione's cheeks turned pink, "He insisted."

"I don't doubt it. A few of our seventh years seem to really like you," he waggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up," she snarled playfully.

Teddy looked up at her, "Mini, did I upset you this morning?

"No, love." He didn't look like she believed her, "I promise, it wasn't you, little wolf."

"Your hormones are going into overdrive, aren't they?" Remus innocently asked.

Hermione shot him a glare but softened in her chair, "Possibly. I've almost cried a million times over absolutely nothing. I ran out of red ink, my quill broke, I finished my book, Teddy this morning, Severus's damn voice, this..ugh!" She closed her eyes, willing the tears to dissipate. She felt Severus shift beside her and looked at him. He was moving to leave and her hand instinctively shot out to grasp his wrist. "You don't have to leave."

Severus looked pained for a moment before speaking, "You should be comfortable." He glanced over her shoulder and his discomfort seemed to grow.

With a twirl and swipe down of her hand, a barrier domed around them and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

"You don't make me uncomfortable, Severus." He frowned, disbelieving, "Your voice...it...it's sin and it is one of the most comforting things I have ever had the pleasure of hearing." She took a deep breath and tightened her grip on his wrist slightly before releasing him, "But when mixed with concern, it makes me want to crawl into your lap and cry, releasing all the pent-up emotions my hormones have raging through me. Because I know, with you, I'd be safe to do so."

There was a pause before Severus spoke. He looked alarmed and like he was struggling to form the right reply.

"Hermione...I didn't know you felt that way." Something in his tone made Hermione's stomach drop. His eyes gave nothing away.

"It's alright, Severus. I know you won't like it if I did any of that. It's silly, really. I just...you don't need to leave for the sake of my comfort."

The sound barrier dissolved, and she returned to her dinner, but when she saw Remus's grin, she paled slightly. Of all the times to forget an extra silencing charm around a werewolf. But he winked at her and she felt herself relax minutely. Teddy resumed his place buried in her robes and Hermione let out a small laugh.

"Aunt Mini?"

"Yes, little wolf," she replied absently.

"The baby is Uncle Ron's, right?"

Hermione stilled and looked down at the boy cuddling her abdomen, "Y-yes and no. Uncle Ron helped create the baby, but he won't be the baby's dad. Do you understand?"

He looked up at her and nodded, "Uncle Pads said he's just a sperm donor."

At his son's words, Remus choked on his dinner and tried to dislodge it, wide-eyed and staring down at his son. Hermione swallowed a smirk, seeing Remus and hearing Severus chuckle beside her.

"That is accurate, little wolf."

"What is sperm? How did he donate it?"

Severus started coughing beside Hermione to cover his laughter while Remus bit his lip to smother his. Hermione herself blushed, "That is a question you need to ask your Uncle Padfoot, love."

"Okay," Teddy looked a little crestfallen but he got over it quickly while Hermione nudged Severus to get him to stop his hidden laughter. Teddy wasn't deterred for long. "But then, who will be the baby's dad?"

Both men were suddenly still.

"It won't have one.." Teddy's tiny grip on her abdomen tightened, and she kissed his head, sharing a sad look with Remus. "It's okay little wolf."

"Can I sleep with you tonight, Mini?" he all but whimpered.

Remus nodded over his son's shoulder with a smile.

"Of course you can. But go back to your room with Dad, and you can floo over after dinner with your stuff. How does that sound?" He nodded against her diaphragm, and she smiled as he pulled himself into her lap. "Lucky boy," she whispered into his hair as she tucked him closer. Her cheek rested on his head throughout the rest of dinner. She picked at her food while uncontrollably looking at the man still only within her line of sight.

"I'll take him now, Mione," Remus finally said. "Give us about an hour, and I'll send him over." She nodded and gently woke the boy attached to her stomach. When he was up, Remus kissed her on the cheek and left, leaving her alone with Severus, who hadn't spoken since she told him what she wanted.

"Goodnight, Professor," she said as she stood, but when she wavered slightly, Severus was out of his seat with a hand on her back.

"Let me take you to your chambers."

She tried to wave him off, "I'm fine, Severus; I just got up too fast."

"I'm not sure I believe that. Not when it's the second time in one evening. You should see Poppy."

But she shook her head, "It's nothing."

He raised an eyebrow, his lip twisted in disbelief, before extending his arm for her. She took it without any more fight, knowing he wouldn't let it go if she tried to resist him. So they walked in silence through the castle until they reached her chambers. The portrait hole opened without the need for a password and he let her arm go.

"Sleep well, Hermione."

"Thank you, Severus. You as well."

She turned to enter the room completely, but his voice stopped her, "If you need me, Hermione, you can always come to me." Her brow was scrunched in confusion when she turned to look back at him and he elaborated, "Should you desire, I would hold you."

She could barely breathe.

"You would?"

He took a step closer, "For you, yes. Only for you."

Before she could reply, he was gone. Her heart racing rapidly in her chest, almost painfully.

Severus's words resonated in Hermione for days after they spoke at her portrait hole. She'd barely been able to sleep that night, unable to calm her racing heart, even after the cup of tea Dotty insisted on bringing her. It had changed something in the way they interacted together too. The next day he showed up at her chambers and insisted on escorting her to the Great Hall for breakfast. Not that she minded at all. He surprised her again by doing the same thing for lunch and dinner, meeting her at her classroom with a smirk and just holding his arm out. Each time she took it, and they walked together into the Great Hall, where he pulled out her chair and helped her get seated before taking his own seat.

After a few weeks of their new routine, Severus dropped Hermione off at the table one evening before taking his leave, whispering his apologies for not being able to take her to her chambers as well. She told him not to worry about it, but she could see in his eyes that he was, and she wasn't sure why. He merely nodded and gave a swift nod to Remus before leaving again.

Hermione turned to her food, Teddy already tucked into her robes talking to the baby, and blushed seeing Remus's ear-splitting grin. He'd caught onto the changes between the two by the end of the first day when Severus offered to escort Hermione to her rooms, and she agreed without an argument.

"You two look positively comfortable," he stated nonchalantly, spearing a green bean.

Hermione flushed. Kissing Teddy's hair, she started on her own dinner.

"We are comfortable with one another, that's all."

"Did you know Teddy and I have tried to floo to your chambers a few times only to find them empty on several occasions?"

"He allows me over for his books," Hermione blushed. "So I go there after dinner every so often for tea and we read."

"Mhmm," he grinned at her.

Teddy pulled her attention, stepping out of her robes and settling into his own chair between her and his father.

"Aunt Mini, do you like Uncle Sev?" Hermione coughed, completely caught off guard by Teddy's no-nonsense question. She didn't answer right away, and Teddy's grin grew to match his father's. "You do."

"I-ah I," Hermione stuttered out.

Remus laughed, "I'd say that is a yes, Teddy. It seems you've caught your Aunt Mini off guard."

Teddy giggled, reaching out to touch Hermione's stomach. "Will Uncle Sev be the baby's daddy? Even though he didn't help create it."

Hermione's eyes welled with tears as she looked down at the young boy with a hopeful smile on his face. "No, little wolf," she shook her head slowly. "We're friends, even if I like him. He doesn't need to be burdened by a baby that's not his."

She saw Remus's jaw drop over Teddy's head. Teddy's smile turned into a frown at her words.

"Did he say that?" Remus asked, suddenly sounding very upset.

"No," she chuckled painfully. "He doesn't know..nor do I want him to. I'd rather not lose his friendship because of a silly crush."

Remus looked completely flummoxed by her words, so she turned back to her meal, one arm around Teddy, who was stroking her slightly swollen belly. Their dinner passed quietly before Hermione kissed Teddy's head and excused herself. Remus stood and gave her a tight hug and a kiss on her forehead. He said nothing more on the subject, and neither did Teddy, but he watched her leave, her shoulders slightly slumped although she held her head high.

In her rooms, Hermione finished her markings but was unable to get comfortable when she tried to relax for the evening. Trying to forget the earlier conversation from dinner, she grabbed her relaxed robes and flooed over to Severus's chambers. She spent a few minutes browsing the shelves before settling on a book specifically focused on harvesting ingredients during a full moon. She was lost in chapter 3 when Severus came into his room.

Severus stilled seeing her laid out on his chaise but the corners of his lips also lifted. She was in a pair of relaxed sweats with a long-sleeved top, her hair piled in an unruly bun on the top of her head, tendrils falling loose here and there. Her robes were thrown across the back of the couch like they belonged there. Not just her robes, she looked like she belonged there and he loved it. The thought sent a sting of panic through him for a moment before it comfortably settled over him, spreading warmth through his chest.

Hermione heard his footsteps and looked up as he came to a stop by the couch. She smiled seeing him and closed her book, her finger wedged between the pages to mark her place. He looked tired, and she watched him take in her presence as he began unbuttoning his frock coat. His cravat had already vanished into a pocket.

"How was your detention?" she inquired, pulling her feet under her.

"Positively horrendous," he sighed, walking over to the couch. Hermione chuckled as she watched him continue to disrobe. "How he could manage to crack a cauldron by merely cleaning it is beyond me."

"Did he really?"

He nodded, "He did. Not a tiny crack either, he practically split the thing in half. Give me a minute, love; let me change."

He walked into his rooms, shedding his coat completely, leaving Hermione utterly shocked on the chaise. They didn't use terms of endearment, ever. Occasionally, they teased and called one another 'Mini' and 'Sev', but that was it. And yet, he'd stolen the air from her lungs with one word.

Reopening her book, she tried to focus on the words but just kept hearing his voice in her ear as her heart pounded harshly in her chest.

Severus was in his closet when his own words hit him. "Oh Salazar..." he braced himself on his dresser and tried to breathe. He hadn't seen her reaction to it. But he was suddenly overcome with fear about how she would react when he came back into the living room. Stealing himself a deep breath, he finished getting dressed, pulling on a long-sleeved shirt and his usual plaid flannel pajama pants. Grabbing his book off the side table, he forced himself to walk into the living room. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding seeing her still sitting in the chaise she'd claimed over time, engrossed in her book.

Hearing his door reopen, Hermione smiled at him, motioning to the tea tray with her chin, "Dotty brought tea. Although I think she spiked yours with some firewhiskey. When I went to grab the cup, she slapped my hand and handed me mine."

He chuckled as he grabbed his prepared cup and sighed as it burned his throat. "That she did," he sighed, opening his book.

They relaxed into their evening as they normally did when she came to his chambers. It was a Friday, neither of them had patrols, and they both got lucky and didn't have to chaperon the final Hogsmeade trip of the term the following day. As the night drew on, Hermione summoned her cloak and transfigured it into a fleece blanket that she tucked around her legs, her free hand coming to rest on her stomach. Severus watched her over the brim of his book and quickly noticed her pages turn every time she tapped a finger on the side of her book. His eyes wandered over her face, memorizing her perfect face before falling on her stomach. It was small but noticeable outside of her robes, and he found himself loving it and the glow she seemed to have. Pregnancy definitely looked beautiful on her. Her soft pouty lips stretched into an adorable yawn. Much to his dismay, though, she ended up sending her book back to his shelves and standing up with a long stretch.

They shared a small smile as Severus closed his book and openly watched her. Walking over, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek before moving to the fireplace, "Goodnight, Severus."

"Goodnight, Hermione. Sleep well."

She looked over her shoulder and watched him for a moment before smiling.

"You too, Sev."

He cracked a smile and she winked at him before stepping through the floo, into her own rooms.

Alone once more, Severus felt a hollow ache begin in his chest as it did every time she left in the evenings. Each time, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and stop her, but he kept himself from doing so. Despite his slip-up earlier in the evening, he's worked hard to keep his feelings for Hermione bottled up.

He'd noticed Lupins curious looks, but when he said nothing, Severus decided to ignore them. Taking a deep breath he ran his hand over his face before banishing his cup and tray to the kitchens and got up.