XIII

This story is based on the Surrogate Mother Challenge issued on WIKTT. For full description of this challenge, please see the author's notes at the end of the first chapter.

Disclaimer:I looked in the mirror this morning and was stunned to discover that I am not JK Rowling. Shocking, I know.

Huge thanks go out to Charmed Nay! She graciously stepped in to beta this chapter!

Hermione awoke the following morning with the open book lying on the bed next to her. She had practiced the incantation and wand movements well into the night. Now, she was ready to use the spell if necessary, of course. She wasn't going to cast any spells on him just because she could. She only wished to arm herself with something that could ultimately help her.

Severus, though, had been a spy. She couldn't just pull her wand on him and try to cast the Charm; she would have to wait for the right time. Wait for the right time, and only cast it if he forces my hand, she reminded herself. She allowed a small groan to escape her lips. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

She dropped her face in her hands. He had thrust this contract on her, and then set about controlling every aspect of her life. She could not allow herself to fall into a serious relationship with him if he was going to attempt to maintain that amount of control. She was her own person. She was not the type to blindly follow anyone.

She lifted her head and let out an audible sigh. Closing the book, she rose from her bed and padded to her bathroom to perform her morning ablutions. Her back was aching incessantly this morning. All evidence from last night's massage was absent. She soaked under the hot shower spray until the soothing water was replaced, all too soon, by an icy bite.

Hermione joined Severus at the breakfast table and slowly savored her breakfast. "How is your back, this morning, Hermione?" he asked while still reading his morning paper.

"Truthfully, it's not much better. I spent every moment of my time in the shower attempting to coax the water to ease some of the discomfort, but it was not accommodating," she said as she buttered her muffin. "Severus, will you please reconsider and allow me to use your bathroom."

"No, I will not budge on this issue, Hermione," he replied simply. "However, I would like you to promise me that you will seek out Madam Pomfrey's help in coping with your pains if they are still bothersome by tomorrow." With that said he arose from his chair and placed his paper back on the table. "I'm afraid that it is getting late. I must get to class," he said as he leaned over and kissed Hermione on her forehead.

She glowered at him as he bent his head towards her and growled into her pumpkin juice as soon as his lips left her skin. "You really are a stubborn git sometimes," she muttered.

He leaned back down and whispered into her ear. "Yes, I really am, however, when you are looking for stubbornness you truly have to look no further than your own reflection, my dear."

Hermione felt her cheeks flush. Before she could turn towards him and respond, however, he was gone from the room. She finished her breakfast, still growling at his words. She wanted nothing more than to have hexed him this morning; however, she had told herself she'd only use it when trying to actually take a bath.

She stood from her chair and carefully stretched. The dull aching in her back was slowly getting worse. Hermione silently prayed that the pains would not continue to get worse on a daily basis. She didn't know how much longer she could tolerate it. Walking into her room, she undressed, pulled on her terrycloth bathrobe, piled her hair atop of her head, and gathered the things that she needed for her bath. After another quick glance at the book she had been reading the night before, she left her room and headed for Severus'.

Outside of his door, Hermione waved her wand over it, checking for any sensory or secrecy spells. It was clear. She was uncertain how to feel about that. On the one side, she hoped that meant that he trusted her. And Miss Granger, how do you repay that trust? she asked herself. A small wave of guilt washed over her and she hesitated with her hand over the knob. Just as she was ready to pull her hand away, another wave overcame her, this one in the form of her never-ending, ever-worsening backache. Her pains won out.

Hermione slowly opened the door. She took a step in and at that precise moment, she felt something brush past her leg. She looked down to see a black creature run by. Slightly confused, Hermione ignored it and looked at the room that she had just entered. Her mouth dropped open as she took in the sights around her.

The room was larger than the sitting room that they shared by nearly twice. There was a large armoire against one wall, and next to that a tall chest of drawers, both made from a deep cherry wood. The bed was the same style as the one in her room, but much larger. The wood was a deep cherry, and it had an intricately carved headboard. It was adorned in deep blues and accented with silver. Hermione could not help but to walk up to the bed and brush her hand along the soft eiderdown covering. She moved her hand along it again, only this time more slowly and firmer. She closed her eyes, imagining her body strewn across it, and sighed.

Remembering what she was there for, she resisted the urge to sit on the bed and instead opened her eyes. The remaining walls were lined in bookcases. After seeing his sitting room and his office, this came as no surprise to her. There were three doors. The slightly ajar door leading to the sitting room, another which she hoped led to the loo, and a third which she assumed led to his wardrobe. Looking at the third door, she noted that the bottom portion of it appeared rather odd; almost like it wasn't real. Brushing off her suspicions, she moved towards the bathroom.

She smiled when she opened the door. An excited feeling of triumph began to overwhelm her, though she kept making frequent glances to the door exiting the room. It was almost as if she expected to get caught. Like a child caught by his mother with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. The room was made of black marble. The sink, the counters, the tub, even the cupboards were a sea of black. She pitied the house-elves that had to keep the water spots from marring the black stone.

Hermione moved forward to turn on the taps to fill the tub with steamy hot water. She moved her hands to her back and rubbed the pains. The constant ache seemed to be relenting some. Now it came more in waves, though she did not understand why. If she were further along she would almost worry that they were contractions, but she still had a couple of months to go. Besides, contractions are cramping, this feels like nothing more than a dull ache, she assured herself.

The tub filled quickly, despite its vastness, and Hermione shut off the taps. She untied her robe. Before she could remove it fully, however, she heard a deep "ahem" coming from behind her. She steeled her resolve and firmly gripped the wand that she had stashed up her sleeve. Hermione slowly turned around to face him. The ever-present scowl was more noticeable then normal, she thought. She felt another small wave of guilt crash against her, she had betrayed his trust, and she knew that. The question was, how was he going to react to this?

"Erm, hi, Severus," she said casually, to break the silence.

Severus closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He had spent the better part of last night and this morning thinking about Hermione's arguments when it came to taking a bath. He had admitted to himself that he had been irrational in setting such limits and if he would have approached her as an adult, things would never have developed to this point. He had massaged her aches and pains in an attempt to apologize, without giving into her demands, last night. This morning he had even contemplated releasing the Charm on her water supply; however this blatant disregard for his wishes quickly changed his mind back. He had already realized that the way that he had gone about ensuring her compliance, a few months back, had been somewhat childish. At the time, he had taken great pleasure in watching her rant and rave about something so pointless. Irregardless of that occurrence, though, she was challenging him now. He had set a rule and she purposefully set out to oppose him.

He became angry that he had begun to think of her in terms of a companion, as a wife. He could not spend his life with someone that purposefully tried to defy him! "What do you think that you are doing, Hermione?"

"I think that I am getting ready to take a bath, actually," she responded.

"Interesting," he said as he folded his arms across his chest, giving him a stance of power. "I think that you are getting ready to leave my bathroom."

"Severus, you are being completely unreasonable about this!" she snapped at him.

"Unreasonable?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. "And sneaking into my bathroom..." He leaned close to her and softened his voice to a hiss, "breaking my trust..." He backed away again seeing that his tone had the desired effect. "That was not unreasonable?"

"God, Severus! You act as if I've committed some vile act of treason! All I want is a ruddy bath!" Hermione yelled. She threw an arm up in disgust with her ranting, causing her untied robe to open.

Severus swiftly became distracted by the sudden vision of her skin; the way that her creamy flesh covered the swell of her abdomen and breasts. He focused on the dark color of the areola and mused that it was much darker than the last time she had dropped her coverings in front of him so many weeks back.

He barely heard her next words of disgust. The vision of her had instantly reminded him of who she truly was. When he had first hired her she had been nothing more than an egg and a womb. He had selected her because she was the best out of the batch of pitiful women he had the unfortunate task to interview. Somehow, throughout the course of their time together he had grown to see her for who she really was. She was a woman. A woman that he had found comfort and solace in over these last few months. Hermione was a kind, thoughtful, caring, intelligent, independent, and...he inwardly groused...very stubborn witch. She was the woman that was carrying his child and the woman that...

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a breeze of something brush past him. His eyes shot up to meet hers in a deadly gaze. Had she just hit him with a spell? Severus was not certain. He mentally cursed at himself for dropping his guard, though the mere fact that he should be on guard in her presence was ridiculous.

Hermione met his glare with equal intensity. She still looked angry, though, he decided that she didn't look guilty. Besides, he reasoned with himself. I don't feel any different. Though the softening feelings that he was having towards the situation had also vanished with the sense of being attacked.

Hermione was standing as though stunned. She was waiting for the onslaught of swearing and scathing remarks from the man she had just cursed. Did he not notice? Her wand had remained, for the most part, hidden up the sleeve of her robe. It was only after she fired the spell that she had realized that he seemed oblivious to her ranting. She broke his gaze and looked down to where his eyes had been focused before. She quickly saw the reason why he had been so quiet before. A deep blush crossed her face as she closed her robe.

This act seemed to break Severus of his silence. His emotions were in turmoil, he was stuck somewhere between anger and understanding, and uncertain which way to lean. "I am needed in my classroom, Hermione," he said. His gaze softened slightly. "We will continue this discussion this evening, but for now, please leave."

Hermione nodded. She didn't know if she was going to cry due to frustration or if she was relieved that he hadn't mentioned the spell. "Ummm, Severus. I'm sorry, I..." she started to say hesitantly.

He held up his hand to stop her. "We can discuss it all this evening," he said calmly.

Hermione nodded. "How did you know I was here?" she asked with a little more sureness in her voice.

Severus pointed to the floor where there was a sleek black cat circling his legs. Comprehension dawned on Hermione's face. "I didn't know that you had a cat," she said.

Severus nodded. "Her job is to keep an eye on the Slytherin common room. She goes through that door," he said pointing to the other door in his bedroom. "There are doors leading from the common room both to my bedchambers and to my office that contain a charmed panel to open for her."

"Oh," Hermione replied. And to think that we were always worried about Mrs. Norris stalking the halls when we were students, she thought. She was beginning to realize that she'd been living with this man for such a long time and there were still so many things that she didn't know.

Snape waved his hand, motioning for her to leave. She took a deep breath and exited the bathroom, and once she knew he was following her, she went on to the sitting room. She was still awaiting the queries and the reprimand for her spell, but none came.

He followed her as she left his rooms. Once in the sitting room, he walked up to her. Hermione's body stiffened slightly. He brought his hand up to her cheek and cupped her face. "I know you are frustrated," he said in an almost pleading tone. "We will talk later, I promise." Hermione nodded her head in acquiescence and he left to return to his classes.

Once he had left the rooms, Hermione slowly dropped to her knees in front of the settee. She leaned her arms and head forward onto the cushion. The overwhelming emotions from the morning's events finally overtook her, causing her to breakdown into sobs. Her bloody emotions were taking over and they were anything but stable. She could barely even sort out how she really did feel. It was an odd mixture of disappointment of not getting any relief, guilt mixed with pleasure at her revenge, and apprehension at how Severus would handle what she had done to him. All of this coupled with the fact that for some unknown reason she still loved the git. That was the worst part, what if he never forgave her for what she had done to him.

Her tears slowed until she was gradually able to compose herself. Emotionally spent, she finally was able to realize that what was done was done. It would do no good to tell him what she'd done. It would only serve to make him more upset with her. Besides it truly could still benefit her. Though, she did finally reason that she should inform Madam Pomfrey; just in case Severus began harassing her for remedies when he found himself taking numerous anti-emetic and pain-relieving potions. It's very unfair that those potions will actually help him today, when I can't go near them, she thought as she rose to go prepare herself for the day.

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"You did what?" asked the stern faced Mediwitch, though the dancing light behind her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

Hermione tried to hide a smile. "I cursed him with an Empathy Charm. Honestly," she continued as Madam Pomfrey now attempted to hold back her snickers. "I feel horrible about it."

"How did Severus take the news when you told him?"

Hermione looked down at the floor, a slight tinge of red rising up to color her cheeks. "I don't think he knows."

Poppy could no longer hold back her laughter. "Oh my!" she exclaimed. "Oh, this will be a priceless day, Hermione, dear!"

"How long do you think it will be before he figures it out?" the younger witch asked.

"Oh, well, you hexed him at about half-past nine, you say?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well then, I would daresay that by noontime when he's experiencing full-blown morning sickness he'll begin to put the pieces together," replied the Mediwitch with a chuckle.

Hermione put her face in her hands and sighed. "Is there any way to reverse it, Poppy?" she asked in a final plea, as she lifted her head.

The elder witch stood up and patted Hermione on the shoulder. "I'm afraid there's not much I can do except to sedate him for the day, but he has classes to teach. Though, I don't think that Severus would back down from a challenge like a coward. The man is anything but."

"What about the last couple of hours of the spell? Isn't that the worst?" asked Hermione with a marked tone of worry.

"The curse only lasts twelve hours and it is not nearly as bad as what you will be experiencing, my dear. It will only go through mild contractions. Don't worry yourself. It's nothing that a pain-relieving potion and a good bath won't help." Poppy smiled sympathetically at the younger witch. "Or a good bottle of liquor, I will have to see what I have in my stores."

Hermione visibly blanched at the word bath at the same time her back began to remind her that it didn't appreciate her sitting on hard wooden chairs.

"Are you all right?" asked Madam Pomfrey with a concerned hand on the young witch's shoulder. "You're looking a little peaked."

A small voice in Hermione's head tried to tell her to ask Poppy about her worsening back pain, but another part knew that Madam Pomfrey would likely have enough to be getting on with in dealing with Severus this afternoon and evening, her trivial problems could wait. Her minor aches and pains could wait. "I'm fine, Poppy. Really. I think that you had best be preparing for a surly Potions master and I had best have a lie down so I can properly deal with the aftermath." She told herself that she would come back to see Poppy tomorrow if she was still not feeling up to par.

As she left, she silently prayed that Severus would avoid coming near her until the curse had worn off...and hopefully he will have calmed down.

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Severus was not having the best of mornings. For one thing, he could not get the image of Hermione standing half-naked in his bathroom, out of his mind. For another, he was feeling out of sorts. He shook his head in frustration. It's because I can't stop thinking about her, he told himself.

He had told himself quite early on in this budding relationship, that he would not push her into anything too quickly. But, parading around in next to nothing in front of him was going to be his undoing. He was only a man, after all.

By midday he was not feeling well at all. After three doses of Vomiting Vanquisher, he was feeling better, although he was worried that he'd have to take another. He was also more tired than he had been in years. He never even made it up to the Great Hall for the noon meal, instead he fell asleep at his desk in his office.

Severus awoke with his head on his desk only ten minutes before his afternoon class was due to arrive. As he sat up, he felt a strange tingling across his chest. He began righting his clothes, and noted that every time the fabric brushed across his nipples, it was an irritation that seemed to shoot directly to his core. This was coupled with his lingering fatigue, and a monster headache that had developed. Thank God the nausea seems to have abated, he thought as he grabbed a phial of Headache and Hangover Healer from his desk drawer and downed it quickly. He readied himself for his Advanced Potions class.

Later, that afternoon, he vowed that his sixth year Advanced Potions class from this afternoon was to go down in the Hogwarts' history books as the worst ever. Severus had never felt more out of control in his life. This is worse than any time I ever had to deal with Black or Potter he thought with a deep level of disgust.

After two hours, Severus had snapped, barked, or roared at every student in his classroom. Each one of the obnoxious brats earned a detention with Filch. He allowed a small smile to grace his lips at this.

Once the last student scurried out of the classroom, Severus warded the room, stalked off to his office, and sat himself unceremoniously behind his desk. Resting his head between his hands, he sat there and tried to figure out what was wrong with him.

Over the course of the day he had been nauseated, achy, edgy, and tired. Just those symptoms alone, and he would've decided that he had a cold or a case of the flu; either of which were easily cured with a simple Pepperup Potion. However, those were not the only symptoms. He had never before felt like he had been on such an emotional roller coaster. One minute he was calm, the next he was ready to kill someone, the next he would feel particularly gentle, and the next weepy. He shuddered at the mere memory of feeling weepy. Plus, there was the odd sensation that he had experienced with his nipples earlier today. Add that to the...

"What the hell was that?" he screamed as he jumped out of his chair. He had felt something firmly tap the inside of his stomach. How is that possible? And then the pieces all fell into place.

Severus gripped his arm tightly in his hand and kicked the leg of his desk as hard as he could. He felt another firm beat from inside of his body and looked down at his stomach. There was nothing different. He felt as if there were, but his body was the same as it always was. He ran his hand from his chest down. As his hand lowered, it began to round up into a slight...bulge? He was perplexed by this. It felt rounded, much the same size that Hermione's belly had been about two months ago.

It was obvious that she had cast a spell on him, but it was nothing like anything he had ever experienced before. By his best guess as to what he had watched her go through, he could assume that he was about half-way through. He looked up at the clock on the wall. Noting that it was a quarter past three he figured he was six hours into whatever it was that had taken over his body. Logically, that would mean that there are six hours left, he reasoned. Severus let out a small groan at this implication.

He decided it was best for both of them if he avoided her, at least for the time being. He was still rather, emotional and he really didn't wish to hex her and risk hurting his child. He had a few choices of what he could do. He could try to look for a counter-charm, go to Madam Pomfrey for help, or he could just ignore the entire thing and get some of his grading done.

Severus ultimately chose the latter option. He hoped that if he was distracted he wouldn't think about Hermione.

He sat down brusquely and grabbed the nearest pile of essays to mark, ensuring to take out all of his frustrations of the young, brunette witch, currently residing in his chambers.

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Hermione was quite relieved when Severus did not appear in the Great Hall during lunch. She kept waiting for him to sweep in and take his, sure to be, anger out on her in front of the entire school. She was barely able to eat as she moved the food around her plate and kept exchanging nervous glances with Poppy.

After meeting with Madam Pomfrey, she had gone back to her room to rest, but she was such a bundle of nerves that she could not seem to relax. She wound up sorting all of her books, first by topic, then in alphabetical order. When she had finished with her room, she had gone to the sitting room to begin tackling Severus' books. It was busy work, but at least it kept her from thinking about her aches and pains. She was still rather frustrated that Filius had insisted that she not help him for the next couple of days. She never was one to idly sit around and do nothing.

After the last of the classes were done for the day, she kept looking to Severus' office door, expecting him to barge in at any moment. Every sound that she heard caused her to stiffen, anticipating his anger. By six, she was not certain what she should do. She was mildly hungry, but as with the noon meal, she was not anxious to go to the Great Hall. Maybe he won't be there, again, she reasoned as she trudged up the stairs, thankful that she was no longer flanked by bodyguards for doing something as simple as walking the halls.

Snape did not appear at supper, either. Hermione again found that her appetite had vanished while she was nervously sitting at the Head Table awaiting his arrival. She swirled the food around her plate with her fork and groaned. She briefly looked up the table and noted that Madam Pomfrey was not present either. Hermione wondered if she was attending to Severus or if there were other patients in the hospital wing requiring her attentions.

She startled when a soft voice spoke in her ear. "Are you all right?" came the voice of Neville Longbottom.

Hermione smiled slightly, turned to face him, and indicated for him to take the seat next to her. "I'm fine, Neville, thank you."

"You don't look fine. You've been out of sorts for a few days and none of us has seen Snape all day."

She could not stop a small groan from escaping her. "I am doing okay, Neville," she replied unconvincingly. "I'm just tired, it's been a nerve-wracking day."

"Hermione, I just wanted to tell you that...well, that I hope that you can forgive me for...you know...before. I just want you to be happy." Neville beamed a smile at her as he squeezed her hand and stood up to leave.

"Thank you," she replied softly as he left her. Tired of feigning to eat, she pushed her plate aside and made her way back to the dungeons.

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It was half-past eight before Severus decided that his potions were no longer helping him completely. Besides, he had depleted most of his stores in the course of the day. Torn between seeking out the aid of Madam Pomfrey and going to talk with Hermione; he decided it best to see the hospital matron. He was still quite the wreck both emotionally and physically, and he knew that he would lash out his frustrations on Hermione if he confronted her now.

He quietly left his office and made his way to the corridor. Carefully checking that no students were about to see him, he headed up the stairs towards the hospital, ignoring the sniggers of the portraits that he passed by. He may not look pregnant to anyone else, but there was a definite shift of balance in his frame and he found himself waddling as he walked. He growled at a pair of fifth year Prefects that he passed by once he reached the second floor, causing them to quickly divert their curious gazes and choose another pathway to their common room.

He stopped just three steps short of the door to the hospital wing, finding it rather hard to focus on anything but the dull cramping in his abdomen. He leaned his head against the cold stone wall and muttered, "I'm going to kill that bloody Gryffindor." Granted, it wasn't that bad, it didn't last that long, and the pains only occurred about every twenty minutes or so.

He regained his composure and entered the hospital wing to find it empty. Hearing giggles coming from Poppy's office he made his way there and knocked on the door.

"Why Severus, I daresay I've been expecting you," greeted the matron with an unconcealed grin as she opened the door to her office and invited him in.

"Indeed."

"Here, have a seat. I've got just the thing for you." Poppy brushed past him and was back in just a few minutes holding a bottle and two glasses.

She poured the brandy into each glass and handed one to Severus. Her grin only grew as Snape consumed the contents at record speed, set the glass down, and looked to Poppy for a refill. "I take it, from your greeting, that you know what has happened," he drawled.

"Yes, Hermione came to see me at about ten o'clock this morning. The poor girl was a mess." She looked up and met Snape's gaze. "She really feels horrible about it."

"Quite. I'm sure if she truly felt that bad about it she would have approached me and performed the counter-spell."

The aged witch shook her head. "There is no counter-spell, Severus."

His face showed no sign of his surprise at Poppy's statement. He took a slow drink of his liquor before he answered, "I see."

"Oh, do stop your glowering, Severus. It's very unbecoming of you," admonished the elder woman. She smiled again as Severus' face contorted briefly, indicating another pain. "From the looks of things you only have an hour left."

When the cramping had passed, he looked at the clock. "It's only been fifteen minutes since the last time that happened," he noted.

"Yes, you didn't think they'd stay spaced so far apart did you? Oh, stop it, you're getting off easy. Hermione is the one that's really going to have to suffer."

Severus sat back in his seat and tried to relax. Grimacing when he realized the inevitable, there was no comfortable position. "What exactly did she tell you?" he asked in a detached tone, trying to seem uninterested.

"Not much. She seemed to feel rather guilty, actually. She said something about a spat and how she somehow managed to catch you off guard. She didn't think that you even noticed being hexed."

"Hmmm," was his only response.

"So...when did you notice?" she asked curiously.

Snape groaned, he did not like to admit any weakness, and not noticing a hex was a definite weakness. "I did not have much time to think about the symptoms whilst I was teaching, Poppy. All of my focus was on my job. Unlike you, I don't have time to waste nattering throughout the day," he replied smoothly.

A chuckle was the reply. "So, I take that to mean that you were well into it before you noticed anything." She held up her hand. "You don't need to answer that, I can tell by the snarl on your face."

Madam Pomfrey refilled her now empty snifter as another, deeper sounding, chuckle filled the room.

"I see that you cannot manage to stay in your own portrait. Who is it that you're pushing out of the way just so you can harass me?" drawled the grouchy Potions master.

"You know I can't stand sitting in that office with that crazy, old wizard unless I have to. As for whose portrait, my boy, Glover Hipworth typically spends his evenings perusing the halls of St. Mungo's so, I'm not pushing anyone out," he said with a smile. "Poppy and I have the loveliest conversations in the evenings. I daresay she knows more about what's going on around here than that old man up there."

"Indeed." Severus took another drink of his brandy and set it on the desk between him and Madam Pomfrey. She refilled it for him as he asked, "So, Albus, how long have you been listening?"

"Long enough, Severus," replied the former headmaster with a twinkle in his eye. "Exactly how has your day been?"

"I can honestly say that this has been one of the worst days of my life," groused Snape.

"Oh, come now, I doubt that. You did live through two fallings of a very dark wizard, after all."

Severus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as another cramp hit him. They were getting worse. The tightening and cramping began at his lower back and wrapped around to his stomach. This was followed by shooting and aching pains that went down to his thighs. The contractions had both increased in intensity and duration in the last ninety minutes.

The portrait and Poppy exchanged sly smirks as Snape grabbed the brandy off of the desk and took another large swig. The only sign given that the torment had ended was Severus heaving a deep sigh of relief.

After he was able to regain his composure he spoke. "I have suffered through nausea, headaches, leg cramps, heartburn, and breast tenderness," he said with an air of disdain. "I was so exhausted this afternoon that I fell asleep at my desk! I've eaten more chocolate in the last four hours than I ever have in my entire adult life! My back hurts, my legs hurt, my hips hurt, and it feels like something is kicking at my diaphragm so I cannot even take a decent breath!"

"Really, now, Severus. Please calm yourself," chided Madam Pomfrey.

Snape sat in the chair, gripping the arms until his knuckles turned white. As soon as that girl delivered, he was going to hex her into the next week. This was entirely her fault!

"Severus?" queried Professor Dumbledore. "What exactly are you going to say to Miss Granger when you confront her about this?"

He turned his black gaze to the portrait and spoke through gritted teeth. "I will handle her. Rest assured, she will learn not to ever cross me again," he seethed.

"You wouldn't dare," said Madam Pomfrey with surprise.

"And why shouldn't I?" hissed Severus. "That woman, who has claimed to care for me, has made my life a living hell! She proved to me today that she is just as childish and immature as she ever was when she was a student stealing Boomslang skin from my private stores."

"Think about what you're saying!" snapped Poppy. "That girl feels horribly guilty about what she did! You will not suffer any long term repercussions! This was merely twelve hours out of your life. Think about what she has been suffering through for the last seven months!"

Another pain overcame him before he could respond. Severus gritted his teeth and rode it out. He glanced at the clock. Ten minutes to go, he thought. When the pains had ceased, he spoke again. "She is being compensated for her troubles," he said. "And I highly doubt that she has suffered this badly."

"You have no idea what that girl has suffered, Snape!" spat Poppy. "And as far as being compensated, well, that's not enough." She sat back and tried to calm herself, looking to the former headmaster for help.

"You said yourself that you care for the woman, Severus," added Dumbledore. "And, I can tell by the way that you talk about her that you have feelings for her. Don't throw that all away on some little tiff."

Severus bit back a growl.

"Listen to Albus," pleaded the witch. "Hermione didn't tell me what you two fought about, but knowing the two of you, I would wager that it was a battle of wills. Damn, I've lived in this castle with you for over twenty years, and trust me on this, you are not the easiest wizard to get along with."

Severus glared daggers at her as another cramp overcame him. It was the worst one so far, and he silently prayed that it was the last. Bloody hell, not only did he have to endure this torture, he was being lectured on relationships through it. He thought about what Poppy had just said and remembered his experiences with Hermione over the last several months. Her vomiting on his shoes, her raging hormones, and her complaints of various aches and pains...he tried to hide the ripple of guilt that hit him.

"That woman has done everything that you've asked of her, Severus. Sit back and look at how much she's given to you, especially in the state that she's in."

The Potions professor slowly nodded his head. No matter how much he loathed admitting it, the witch was right. He looked up at the portrait to see Albus looking at him with concern. Damn, he hated it when they were right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus stalked back down to the dungeons. The curse had finally lifted and though a part of him was emotionally drained, another part of him felt ... exhilarated. He was still upset that Hermione had actually pulled a wand on him. He hated that she would openly defy him that way.

Do you really Severus? he asked himself. He imagined Hermione acting like his mother. Did he really want a woman that cowered at his every word? His father had dominated over his mother from his earliest memory. His mother, even though she was a powerful witch, did not defend herself. It ultimately led to an early death.

Aside from that, the only other relationships that Severus had ever been in, were those where he served the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. In both cases, they were the masters and Severus was but a pawn in their game. He never had any control. Is that what he wanted for Hermione? For her to not have any control?

Hermione was intelligent, strong-willed, and determined. Those were the things that made her standout over all of the other women he'd known. That is why you've never had a real relationship with a woman, Severus. You couldn't tolerate them any longer than it took for a quick shag. It was these aspects which set her apart from all of the others.

The sight that greeted him when he arrived at his quarters caused his anger to slink to the background of his thoughts. He'd silently appeared at the door from his office and entered to find Hermione pacing the floor in front of the fire.

Her brown hair hung long and loose, framing her face. She was staring at the floor and chewing on that accursed lower lip as she worried her hands in front of her. She stopped pacing and closed her eyes, moving her hands to her lower back and stretching her gravid belly in front of her.

Severus' breath caught somewhere in his throat at the vision of her. It was then that he noticed the wet streaks on her cheeks and he began to feel nearly as guilty as he knew she did. Something deep in his chest lurched and yearned to reach out for her. He heaved a deep breath and quickly strode towards her.

Hermione's eyes flew open when she heard the rustle of fabric. Dropping her hands to her sides, she instantly recoiled as he approached her. His black fathomless eyes bored into her as she backed herself up against the bookcase. "S-severus," she stammered. "I've been so worried." Her own eyes held a pleading desperation. "I'm so very sorry," she went on. "I..."

He felt a lurch in the pit of his stomach; the woman that appeared to be quailing before him was not the same woman he'd left earlier that day. Not that he could blame her, she'd seen his wrath on more than one occasion for much smaller infractions. At that moment, he vowed never to give her reason to do so again. His lips descended upon hers, catching her by surprise.

Hermione was instantly engulfed in his intimate embrace. The fear, frustration, nervousness, and guilt began to get washed away by an overwhelming sense of desire. There was something different about his kiss. Before, they had always been soft and Hermione had always felt as if he were holding something back. This time all of his emotions were pouring out to her.

His kiss was strong, speaking untold words of apologies, remorse, and passion. Hermione returned those sentiments in kind as she brought her hands up to run through his shiny black hair. She let out a soft moan as she parted her lips, allowing his tongue entry into her mouth.

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her so that her belly was pressed firmly against him. His kisses became fevered as the urge to devour her overwhelmed him. He'd never yearned for anyone this much before. To hell with waiting for her to make the first move! he thought.

Severus glided his hands up her non-existent waist to cup her breasts, as he moved his kisses down her throat.

"Oh," murmured Hermione in response. At this he gradually pulled back eliciting a small groan of protest from the witch in his arms. Severus leaned his forehead firmly against hers. "Apology accepted," he said in a near whisper.

She looked at him expectantly, he'd accepted her apology, but she felt due one as well. When the silence remained, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hermione, I..." he began. He stopped, stepped back, and grasped her hand, as he led her out of the room.

He escorted her to his bedroom, where he waved his wand to light the many candles along the walls. Hermione quickly surveyed the room, looking for the same black cat from earlier. Severus answered her silent question, "She's not here, she'll be in the Slytherin common room."

As he'd guided her into the room, she became rapidly annoyed that he had yet to apologize to her. She was surprised that he did not stop their trek and he next led her into the loo where, with another quick flick of his wand the tub began to fill.

"I believe that I owe you a bath," he said simply as he turned to leave. His demeanor had suddenly changed, as if the walls that had been down were being re-erected.

Hermione looked around the black room and then after his retreating form curiously. "Excuse me. Where do you think you're going?"

He turned back to face her, his face void of emotion. Hermione wondered what she'd done to upset him again. "I think that I'm giving you some privacy. Take as long as you would like."

She took two steps towards him. "I would prefer it if you stayed." He quirked up his eyebrow at her. For Hermione, this was a bold response. She had known that some of his reserve had been concern for her relative sexual inexperience. She hoped that she was reading him correctly in this instance that his closing off had been a way of giving her an out. She had been waiting for him to make a move for quite some time now and frankly, his hesitance was becoming rather frustrating. Feeling emboldened, she closed the gap between them and reached her hands for the top button on his outer robe.

Severus allowed a small smirk to appear on his lips, as he again seemed to relax in front of her. Her fingers deftly worked down the front of his robes. She finished unfastening his first layer of clothing and slid her hands up the face of his shirt to his shoulders, and pushed the robe off of him. He leaned his head down to her ear. "Though, I enjoy the prospect of having you undress me, there are much quicker ways to do this, Hermione," he whispered, his hot breath tickling directly below her ear.

Hermione felt a shiver go up her spine as he waved his wand, yet again, and divested both of them of their clothing. She met his pleased smirk with her own. Though, inside her stomach now felt like nothing more than a jumble of nerves. She raked her eyes appraisingly over the man before her, placing her hands upon his chest and running them down the smooth muscles. He was thin and pale, that was unsurprising, but the well-defined muscle covering his scrawny frame, was. She ran her hands back up to the sparse hairs upon his chest as he brought his hand to her chin and tilted it up to his face.

His black eyes were usually devoid of emotion, but she could almost swear that she could see light dancing behind them now. He leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the mouth. "I believe you wanted to take a bath," he prodded. He could almost see her processing her options through her head. It seemed that the obsession with having a bath, did win out over more pleasurable options as she nodded and walked over to the tub, which was now nearly full of steamy, hot water.

She quickly pulled up her hair, shut off the taps, and stepped into the water. Looking back over her shoulder, she was amused to find him standing in the same spot, staring at her. "Please, come join me, Severus," she said as she sat down.

The bath had been one of the most magnificent things for Hermione. A bath is a simple pleasure that for years she'd taken for granted. Though, tonight, the meaning seemed to stretch beyond the plainness of merely a tub full of water. The heat from the water had not only temporarily soothed the aching muscles in her back, but it had healed something that until that morning she hadn't realized was broken. This relationship, for lack of a better word, that she and Severus seemed to be struggling to build, had been on unequal footing. Part of her had thought that he still viewed her as a student or subordinate and treated her thusly. However, as time was wearing on, she wondered if the contract was what was getting in the way of his seeing her differently.

Then she found herself thinking about the other things that she knew about him, and in her talks with friends, and with Poppy, she figured that Severus never really knew what a true partnership was. When he did not verbally attack her this evening, upon arriving in his chambers, she began to hope that he was realizing this. Next, to relent and allow her the one thing that she had been begging for, well...that was as close to an apology as Severus Snape was likely ever to get.

The time actually spent in the water was far from the relaxing soak she had been imagining for months. Nor was it the passionate one that she was envisioning after she invited him to stay.

Severus sat up against the side of the tub. Hermione sat between his spread legs and rested her back up against his chest. His hands traced soft gentle circles over her taut skin as they talked. He related, uncensored, the events of his day to her. The guilt that she'd felt earlier, resurfaced, though she also felt a twinge of humor. No one would ever believe that she had forced Snape to suffer through the pains of pregnancy and childbirth. Though, she had to admit, from his recount, that he still missed some of the symptoms that she'd had to suffer on a daily basis. And, despite his assurances that he fully understood now, he still never had to go much further then a few contractions. After all, she was the one that still needed to squeeze the beach ball out of her.

She wanted desperately to confront him on his plans at the end of term, but she was concerned that this was too sensitive of a subject to broach when things were still so new and fragile. Hermione wasn't a coward, but she also wasn't dumb...she knew when to bide her time and wait. Though, she was beginning to feel pressured by Professor Flitwick. He was still hoping that Hermione could convince Severus to stay on at the school next year.

Now is not the time to be thinking about this, she chided herself. You are naked and practically sitting on this man's lap and you're worried about what you're going to do next year.

She brought her hands up to still his movements on her stomach, pulling him tightly around her. The feel of his body against her instantly changed at this small change. The laziness from his body vanished. He hissed into her ear, "What do you want, Hermione?"

"You. Just all of you," she whispered. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt him lean her forward and stand up behind her. He stepped out of the pool and reached out a hand to help her up. She eyed the sight before her, whatever romantic notions she may have had previously were now definitely gone as her thoughts had gone well beyond that.

She stepped out of the tub as he reached for his wand from the countertop and cast a quick Drying Charm on them. Next, he led her out of the bathroom. She'd felt rather exposed in front of him before, but now, in his bedroom, she felt her cheeks begin to flush at their lack of coverings.

Severus was amused by her embarrassment, and he briefly wondered at the level of her innocence. They had seemed to 'clear the air', as it were, with their conversation. There were still many things to discuss, though he had no desire to do any of that now. The only thing that he wanted to think about now was how good it would feel to be between her legs.

He reached out a hand and brushed it along a breast, cupping it, and pinching the nipple firmly, eliciting a soft whimper from her. He snaked his other arm around her and pulled her close, enjoying the feeling of her belly against his jutting erection.

Hermione closed her eyes as he kissed her. It was raw desire, and nothing else, that he gave her this time, quickly deepening the kiss to a flurry of tangled tongues. Her hands roamed his back as they kissed. One of his hands continued to massage and tease her breast, while the other firmly grasped her bum.

He bit and suckled on her lower lip, before trailing kisses to her throat. He slowly broke his mouth away from her skin and carefully led her back to the bed. He guided her to lie down on her side and climbed up on the bed beside her. She grabbed a pillow to prop her head and tucked her arm up under her head. She then brought her other hand up to his cheek and kissed him softly before trailing the same hand down his body to his erection.

She ran her fingers across the tip, smearing the clear fluid, and then ran her hand down, grasping him firmly. She allowed a pleased grin to cross her face at his sudden in-take of breath as her hand gently squeezed and rubbed him.

This was nearly his undoing. He pushed her onto her back and leaned down. He traced his tongue around her nipple and enjoyed her moan when he took the firm peak into his mouth. She removed her hands from him, however and he stopped to look at her questioningly.

"Sorry," she said, her face flushing, again. "I need a pillow or something."

Severus looked at her lying there and suddenly realized that he would need to make some concessions with her this way. Perhaps she was right, just because he'd spent twelve hours today suffering through many of the aspects of pregnancy, he truly couldn't fully understand.

He grabbed two pillows from the bed. He pulled her to her side and placed one under her back and the other under her belly. "I wasn't thinking," he said as he leant down, kissing her fully. He ran his fingers down to her tuft of dark curls. She spread her legs in response, giving him access. He smoothed two fingers along the folds of skin and into her channel. Severus was pleasantly surprised to find ample moisture within her; he slid his fingers out and brought them up to his mouth.

Hermione watched with desire and wonder as he sucked his fingers clean of her essence. Her previous sexual experience could be summed up as 'unsatisfactory', even this small amount far surpassed anything she'd experienced before.

Severus could not wait any longer, it had felt like an eternity of kisses, touching, and teasing. She responded tenfold to everything that he did to her and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her. He lifted her top leg and straddled the lower, pulling the upper leg over him, and quickly sheathed himself within her. He paused to allow her to adjust to his girth before he began rocking into her. Her hand now firmly on his back. He slipped a hand down to rub her clit.

Hermione felt a completeness that she'd never known before. He filled her fully, but there was an emotional completeness that made her feel that nothing was more right than this. It was not long before a tingling in her toes traveled up to her center and shot out through her body with the cry of his name on her lips.

It had been his intent to pleasure her more, he wanted to see her meet her peak again and again. That plan was quickly lost as soon as he felt the gripping of her walls around his cock. Severus followed her into orgasmic bliss, leaving him gratified and sated.

After catching his breath, he noted the pleased look on her face. He gently removed her leg from his back and eased out of her. Pulling the pillow out from behind her back, he moved up to lay down behind her. Severus pulled covers over the both of them and smirked at Hermione's sigh when he cuddled up tightly against her backside and nuzzled her neck. "I take it that you are satisfied," he muttered into her neck as he moved to rest a hand on her hip.

"Yes," she said with another sigh, pulling his hand over her belly. Hermione felt more content, within his arms, than she had in many years. She knew that he had fallen asleep behind her very quickly. She was just coming down off of her euphoric high, allowing her to join him in slumber when she felt a strong cramp in her back. She winced at the pain, it was similar to the aches she had been having since yesterday, though this seemed much stronger. Her heart began to race as the ache slowly wrapped to the top of her belly.

She breathed slowly and tried to force herself to relax. It's just one, Hermione. This wasn't like the aches from earlier today; those weren't contractions. Besides, this can be normal after sex. It was only one...it was only one. She lay there in the room, her eyes wide as she waited to see if the pain would repeat.

It was barely five minutes later when the pain started again. It started as before, as she forced herself to breathe. The pain was more than bearable, but her nerves jumbled in her stomach and she could not fight the feeling that she had failed. She needed to get to Poppy. She pressed her hand against her belly as the contraction hit its peak. A tear began to trickle down her cheek as she analyzed what she was feeling. It felt hard. Hard as what, though? She tried to remember the many books that she'd read. Nose, chin, forehead...soft, medium, hard, she repeated to herself as she touched each in turn. Chin, she decided. That did not bode well.

As the pain subsided, she carefully eased Severus' hand off of her and tried to move away. She moved slowly to the edge of the bed and rolled herself out. She did not wish to wake him until she figured out what was happening. She would use the loo and get dressed, maybe by then they will have stopped. She stood up tall and immediately she felt a warm gush of fluid flood out from her, followed instantly by the most intense pain she'd felt thus far. "No!" she screamed. Besides the pain, there was something else not right; Hermione felt something between her thighs that she knew shouldn't be there.

Her tears began to flow freely as the pain increased and the only thing that she could think was I failed, oh God, I failed.

A/N: Oh, that was so mean! I'm sorry...well, not really! ;-) The components for this chapter have been around since the stories conception. I want to mention 'loonyluna' in regards to the Empathy Curse. We could not decide if we'd seen it used before or not, but if you want to read another story where someone uses an Empathy Curse then read hers, titled"Unforgettable" over on Ashwinder and AFF.net .

Many of you know that my beta, Southern_Witch69, lives down in Louisiana. She is fine, just without Internet service. However, our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are struggling down there.

10 House points go to the one that can tell me the name of Severus' cat.

Does anyone know what the something else that's wrong...aside from the blatantly obvious? ;-)

Glover Hipworth was the inventor of Pepperup Potion.