IX

This is based on the Surrogate Mother Challenge 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.

Special thanks to my beta, Southern_Witch_69, who puts up with an amazing amount of garbage from me. She truly is priceless!

"That did not have the desired result," Severus muttered.

"I'm sorry, sir," replied Ginny. She was leaning against the wall next to the main entry into his living quarters.

She and Hermione had returned from their excursion a few minutes before. Upon arrival, Hermione had turned to the Weasley girl, hugged her, and expressed her gratitude before walking quickly to her room and shutting herself inside. Severus had noted the puffy, red eyes and that accursed sniffling sound she was making. She did not even look him in the eyes to acknowledge him.

"She has been crying again," he stated.

"Yes, sir," she replied, even though she knew it had not been a question. Severus watched the girl as she fidgeted with her hands and stared at the drapes, which covered the windows.

Let her be uncomfortable, he thought. There is no way that I am going to invite her to sit down. Severus was suddenly surprised when the redhead looked directly at him with a smug smirk on her face and said, "Thank you for writing me and telling me that she needed someone to talk to and to get out of the castle."

Narrowing his gaze at the young witch, Severus maintained a face void of emotion, never giving away that he had been taken aback by her brazen accusation. "Yes, well, it does not appear that her reunion with you has done any good."

"I wouldn't say that, Professor. I think you may be surprised. Give her a little more time. She just needs someone to confide in." Miss Weasley stood up tall and stepped closer to the exit. "I will be back in another two weeks to take her out again. I need to do a little more shopping, and I think she's due for some clothes. Wouldn't you agree, sir?"

Not even waiting for him to answer, she left. Severus was stuck between his anger at the girl practically telling him to buy Hermione some new clothes, a small bit of satisfaction that she had figured out who had written the letter to her, and frustration that Hermione appeared to be just as upset this evening upon her return as she had been for the last couple of weeks. It was all very trying on him.

However, the girl was correct, Hermione did need a new wardrobe. He had noticed just the other evening whilst wearing her Muggle clothes that she had a ribbon looped through the buttonhole of her jeans. When he had questioned her about it she had said something about the Wizarding world not having elastics...whatever they were. That was when her eyes began to tear up again, and he had left the room to avoid the flood of seawater that was sure to follow. He hated being around blubbering women. It was almost worse than having to deal with a homicidal megalomaniac.

Severus let out a small chuckle as he sat himself in his usual armchair in front of the fire. He found it to be rather amusing that he was comparing living with Hermione Granger to working for the Dark Lord. Even more humorous was that for the briefest of moments, he had thought that dealing with Voldemort was easier. That was not true, of course. Hermione may be trying on the nerves, but she was not an evil person.

What did he think of the young witch now? She had been living in his space, under his care...so to speak...for ten weeks. He had not despised his time with the girl...erm, woman. She could be rather pleasant, and he enjoyed having someone around that he could hold an intelligent conversation with. Yes, when she is not inundating the sitting room with tears! Severus scowled. That was currently the biggest thorn in his side.

According to the pregnancy pamphlets and books provided by Wilhelm Wigworthy's Wombs for Went, however, the time of the worst mood swings should soon be ending. Hermione was nearly entering into the second trimester...depending on which book he read or which medical authority he spoke to. It is a wonder they even know where a baby comes out! The experts cannot seem to agree on the simplest of matters! Severus groused internally.

He summoned his copy of Pregnancy and Confinement for Witches, opened it, and began to research what wonderful delights he had to look forward to in the coming months.

The Second Trimester

1) Nausea is usually gone.

Thank God!

2) Breasts become less tender.

Had Hermione experienced tender breasts?

3) Fetal movement should become noticeable.

Will this be something that she care about?

4) Linea nigra and/or chloasma may appear.

A dark line and a mask? What the bloody hell did that mean?

I'll have to look that up.

5) May have difficulty with constipation.

That is really information that I do not need to know about. Nonetheless, I can see what sort of potions would be acceptable for her to ingest whilst pregnant.

6) May have food cravings.

If she thinks that I am going to succumb to her every whim when it

comes to food, then that witch has another thing coming!

7) May have nasal congestion.

Likely a little Pepperup Potion could take care of this.

8) Bleeding from the gums or nose.

9) Headaches.

10) Leg cramps.

Likely caused by an inadequate intake of calcium.

11) Round ligament pain.

12) Emotions become more stabilized. Most witches begin to accept the pregnancy, and their thoughts become more introspective. The pregnant witches also tend to daydream more, and their nocturnal dreams become more active. Legend states that this is due to an ancient spell placed by Vesta Gero. The purpose of this ancient magic was to help the witch prepare for the impending birth and child rearing.

I wonder what sort of dreams plague a surrogate mother.

13) Due to the balancing of emotions, it is safe for witches to once again use their magic on themselves. However, it is important to note that most Charms, spell work, as well as Potions, may be ineffective for a limited time. The most common charm is the Fetal Sonorus Charm. This spell allows the impending parents to hear the fetal heartbeat for a short period of time. Also common, is the Puer-Puella Cerno Potion, most accurate when performed after twenty weeks gestation, can be used to determine the gender of the fetus.

Poppy has already used the Sonorus Charm. It will be curious to see if Hermione chooses to cast this charm on herself even when it is not necessary to check on the well-being of the child.

Though it is fairly common, Severus had never brewed the Puer-Puella Cerno Potion, as it is not commonly stocked in the Hogwarts infirmary. He made a mental note to investigate the potion and its properties before deciding to insist that Hermione take it. He had received a letter from his solicitor a couple of weeks prior, and he had been correct in assuming that his father's will did not specify a gender for the child. So, the gender of the child did not matter much to Severus, although he had pictured a son since the ordeal began.

14) Many witches in the second trimester of pregnancy find an increased sexual desire. It is important for both parents to acknowledge the need for continued communication and sexual intimacy...as long as there are no extenuating circumstances.

Communication? Sexual Intimacy?

Severus laughed at this. Ever since he had overheard her breakdown, over what he was nearly certain was regret over having signed over her child to him, he had tried to avoid her as much as possible. The last thing that he wanted to do was pretend to sympathize with her. He did not feel sorry for her. She had been fully aware of the choice that she'd been making when she'd signed the contract. He still believed that his stipulations were reasonable. Nothing in the contract was unfair. Hermione will be well compensated for her contribution. She should be thankful that she does not have to be strapped with the child for the next eleven years!

To say that her reaction was a surprise would be a lie, however. He had just hoped that this issue would not present itself so soon. He was expecting it to be something that came about at the end of the pregnancy. Preferably, after the birth! That way he could just take his son and disappear.

Severus scoffed as he thought about the part on sexual intimacy. He was quite certain that their situation counted as an 'extenuating circumstance.' Not that the idea was appalling to him. Wait! Why am I even thinking along these lines?

He snapped the book shut and tossed it to the floor. He looked at the place where Hermione had been standing when she'd absently dropped her towel to the floor due to the tantrum about the bath water. That was an image that had permanently ingrained itself into his mind. She had a youthful, sensual body and an intelligent mind. Truly, there was nothing more that he required in a witch. Though, it was not as if he was looking for a relationship with anyone. Relationships were dangerous things that he'd spent most of his life avoiding.

One reason that he had elected to find a surrogate to carry his heir was because it was a simple transaction. There were no strings attached. The time and energy involved in having an intimate relationship with a witch was tremendous, and where was the guarantee that such a commitment was worth it?

Though it pained him to admit it, if he were interested in a witch, a woman like Hermione would be what he was looking for. She was not a classic beauty, but she was not repulsive by any means. Besides, there was so much more to beauty than appearances...the person behind the face was just as important. Over the last few months, Severus had slowly begun to know Hermione. She was a smart, bossy, courageous, curious, tenacious, kind, caring, compassionate, young woman. Since when are any of those qualities important to you, Severus? he asked himself.

True, Severus was not known for his emotions, more for his lack of them, but this was not truly the case. Despite popular belief, he did have feelings. He just did not wear his heart on his sleeve like a Hufflepuff! He did care about some things and certain people, and he did feel remorse for his past crimes. He had been grateful to Dumbledore for taking mercy on him and accepting the repentance of his sins. He was a good man, Albus...whom he had loved like a father; whose loss had been devastating to Severus. He would have died in Azkaban after the first fall of Lord Voldemort had it not been for that old man.

Severus had loved his mother, as well, and she in turn had loved him. He still mourned the woman that had fallen by her husband's own hands. She had been a beautiful and intelligent young witch. The sentence that had befallen her by such a hateful man had been a pity. It was something that he did not wish to think about.

Severus hoped that one day he could learn to love his child. His father had never loved him. The man had only seen him as an heir to carry on the Snape line. Other than that, a son was nothing more than a nuisance to the old bastard. He did not wish for his son to feel that way.

But how do you make a child feel loved without spoiling them?

He did not want his son to become like Draco Malfoy. Though the younger Malfoy had eventually seen the error of his ways, he had spent much of his youth as a spoilt brat. It had taken his father's imprisonment and Narcissa's death for the Malfoy heir to recognize the dangerous path that he was on and change. Severus did not wish for his son to lead that life. He wondered if all parents' wished that for their children...that the child not make their parents' mistakes.

He truly was not a stranger to raising children. Head of House for Slytherin, for over twenty years, gave him experience. Somehow, though, Severus had the feeling that having your own child and raising it from infancy was different than frightening a group of impudent, eleven-year-old children and scaring them into submission.

A small chuckle escaped his lips. Never would he have envisioned himself sitting in his living room pondering the finer aspects of child-rearing. However, it was slowly becoming a reality that he would be faced with this experience soon. That coupled with the dawning realization that being a single parent may not be as easy as he had originally thought it to be was slowly beginning to worry him.

Perhaps there is a benefit to having another parent around, he silently wondered.

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Hermione had spent the remainder of the weekend by herself. She only ventured from her rooms for meals, and even on those occasions, she was only out for the briefest amount of time, having elected to eat all of those meals in Severus' quarters.

By Monday morning, he was contemplating doing something drastic...like actually talking to the girl about her feelings...when she emerged for breakfast. Severus was momentarily shocked as he stared at the young woman. She was fully groomed and dressed for the day.

Severus hid a smirk. "Good morning, Hermione," he said whilst taking a sip of coffee.

"Morning, Severus," she said with a small smile. She sat in her customary chair at the small dining table and prepared her food.

He watched her ready her plate and was pleased to see the generous portions she was filling it with. He looked closer at her face. The dark circles and ghostly pale skin that had faced him every morning for well over a month was disappearing, to be replaced by a youthful face with creamy, healthy tones. He was inwardly pleased at this and could not stop the small expression of satisfaction from appearing on his face. "You look well today," he commented.

"I feel well this morning," she said gleefully. "It's amazing how wonderful such a simple thing can be." He watched as she immediately began shoveling food in her mouth.

"I am curious, Hermione. What changed?" It took every ounce of willpower to keep from asking more. What is wrong with you? he inwardly chided.

"I think that the chocolate that I bought on Saturday helped," she answered slyly.

Severus smirked at her cheeky reply. He took another sip of his coffee and attempted another approach. "I know that you have not been feeling as nauseas lately. Was it just that, or is there something more?" he pressed.

"This, the pregnancy, is harder than I anticipated. You're right. My stomach is not as queasy anymore...which I'm very thankful for, by the way" she added with a smile. "I just did not expect my emotions to be hit so hard."

"Indeed," he replied with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Yes, I think I could do without the emotional outbursts as well."

Hermione chuckled. This was the most pleasant conversation she'd ever had with him. She was truly feeling better than she had in weeks. It was not only physical but emotional as well. Upon returning with Ginny on Saturday, she had not felt any better, but by the next morning, she'd felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted. It was simply more bearable knowing that Ginny knew how she felt.

What had been the biggest help for her had been the book that she'd bought in Diagon Alley. When she'd returned, she'd shut herself in her room and had cast a Silencing Charm. She'd climbed up on the bed to sit back against the headboard. She'd then cast the Fetus Sonorous Charm and had listened to the sounds of life from her child as she'd begun reading the fairy tale aloud. The words had melodiously flowed with the beat set by the child's heart. It had brought forth tears, as she'd known it would, but it'd all felt so right. She'd wished at that moment that she could change the circumstances, change the outcome, although she knew that it was all out of her control.

By Sunday morning, Hermione had felt at peace. Not that anything had changed, only that she had now allowed herself the chance to grieve, and she knew that she could continue to do so if she needed, though she was also able to see that mourning for the next several months would not help either. Life had not stood still, and she needed to catch up with it.

"What are your plans for today?" asked the professor, trying to bring her attention back to her breakfast.

"I would like to go to the library this morning," she said thoughtfully. "After that, I am meeting Neville following lunch."

Hermione received a low grumble in response, and she had to hold back another laugh. Although Severus was being rather talkative, it did not hide the fact that the man was definitely not a morning person.

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The morning flew by for Hermione. At noontime, she was seated in her usual place at the Head Table when she was greeted with a Post Owl. She hurriedly removed the small package attached to its claw, gave it a bit of biscuit, and sent it on its way as quickly as possible. Hermione opened the package under the table to avoid the curious stares from around the Great Hall. There was no note, but the opening of the box revealed a bar of Honeyduke's best chocolate. Hermione smiled and tucked it away in her robes.

When she was finished with her meal, Neville approached her and led her out of the Great Hall. He walked her down to greenhouse two where they sat on a bench and began another friendly discussion.

"Neville, I wanted to thank you for what you did," said Hermione. The young man blushed at her words. "I am glad that someone realized that I needed to speak with someone. Writing to Ginny to ask her to come see me was perfect."

The look of embarrassment was replaced by confusion on the young wizard. "What letter?" he asked.

"The letter where you asked Ginny to come visit and take me shopping," giggled Hermione as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I wrote to Ginny," said Neville, "but only once. I never said anything about her coming to visit you or anything."

Hermione was slightly taken aback by his comment. "That's odd. Ginny told me that she figured it was you. Whomever it was forgot to sign their name."

Neville let out a small laugh. "I know that you remember me as being, well, forgetful when we were in school, but have you ever known me to forget to write my own name?"

It was Hermione's turn to be slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Neville. Ginny just assumed, I guess, and well," she looked down at the dirt floor, "I just thought that she must've been right."

"It's all right," he answered assuredly. Neville began shuffling his feet and fiddling with his hands. "Umm, Hermione," began Neville tentatively, "I was wondering...that is to say..." He blushed slightly. "What are your plans for the Christmas Holidays?"

"Oh," replied Hermione. This was unexpected. "Well, I haven't spoken to Professor Snape about it, but I think that I'll be spending the holidays here."

Neville nodded his understanding and endeavored to change the subject.

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The next fortnight seemed to pass in a blur. Severus did indeed ask Hermione to stay at Hogwarts for the Yule. She had agreed, although, it would have been nice to spend the holiday's with someone who actually enjoyed the season. She truly did not loathe the idea of spending the time with Snape, her other options would be spending it with Neville or with the Weasleys. She would rather spend her time in peace rather than listen to Mrs. Weasley prattle on about the pregnancy or remain under the constant scrutiny of Mrs. Longbottom.

Hermione was endowed with another gift during one of her lunches at the Head Table. This being a slightly larger package, she discreetly stuffed it within her robes and opened it later in the privacy of her room. This time she had received a beautiful white quill with a single emerald embedded in it. She smiled at the simplistic beauty. The quill was obviously a stork feather, the symbolism was plain, and she appreciated the consideration. She wondered what gift the surreptitious professor would bestow upon her next.

On the first Saturday of December, Hermione was again greeted by the smiling face of the youngest Weasley.

"Wow, Hermione!" she exclaimed. "Look at you!"

Hermione smiled. "Good morning, Gin."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, just let me go find the overprotective professor before we leave." Hermione exited the room via Professor Snape's office. He was sitting behind his desk marking essays, just as he usually did on Saturday mornings.

He looked up when she entered the room. "I thought that you were going shopping with Miss Weasley again today."

"I am going shopping. Ginny just got here. I came in to tell you that we're leaving now," she stated.

Severus stared at her for a few moments and waved her off. "Oh, Hermione," he said before she left the room. "Whilst you are in Diagon Alley today, I have made arrangements for you at Gefjon's Gravidity Garments. Just go in, inform Madame Gefjon of your identity, and she will outfit you with an acceptable wardrobe on my account. She is expecting you at eleven o'clock this morning, so you best be on your way."

He leant back over his desk and the essay he was marking, plainly telling Hermione that the conversation was over. She left and told Ginny of their added errand. The redhead put on a triumphant smile as the pair activated the Portkey to the Leaky Cauldron in London.

They entered Diagon Alley and began their careful scrutiny of the local shops.

"So, Mione, how are you feeling?" asked Ginny casually.

Hermione smiled. "I'm feeling pretty good, actually. Nothing like I was on our last outing."

"You seem...well, you seem happier," stated the younger friend. "It's nice to see you happy again," she added.

The brunette nodded and gestured towards a shop. "Here. Let's go in this one. I need to find something for Professor Flitwick." They entered the small shop and perused the items for sale.

"So, how are things with you and Professor Snape?" asked Ginny as if she was talking about the weather.

"Oh!" replied a surprised Hermione. She was suspecting that her young friend had some interesting notions regarding Professor Snape. "Going quite well, to be honest."

"Really?" asked Ginny slyly. "In what way?"

Hermione considered her carefully words before she answered. In one way, this was territory that she was uncertain of herself, and she was not sure what Ginny was thinking about. Though, she did truly value an honest, outside opinion on the matter. "First of all, it definitely was not Neville who sent you the letter." Hermione did not miss the redhead's sheepish grin and nod. "I think it was Severus," she continued.

"I know," answered Ginny with a smirk.

"For some reason, I'm not surprised," mumbled Hermione. "So you like making me feel like a complete berk for asking poor Neville?" she accused.

"No! I just didn't know how you'd react if you knew it was Snape!" Ginny countered. "I mean, look at you now!"

"Oh."

"Better now?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just not terribly happy that you knew and led me to believe something else."

"I know. I'm sorry. I just didn't think that you needed anything else to worry about at the time," replied Ginny calmly.

"Oh, well, I guess I can understand that," as she picked up a small figurine and examined it closely. "Do you want to know the really odd thing? He has started sending me gifts."

Ginny smiled victoriously. "Really? What sort of gifts?"

"Oh, nothing big," answered Hermione quickly. "The first one was some chocolate. I had made some comment that morning about my mood improving due to some chocolate. I think it was his way of telling me that he wanted me to stay in a good mood." The memory made her giggle. "The second gift was really sweet. It was a beautiful new quill."

"A quill! That's perfect for you!" shrieked the younger witch with glee. "What sort of quill is it?"

"A long, white feather with an emerald embedded into it. I think it's a stork quill."

"Oh, how sweet! An emerald, eh? That sounds very Slytherin to me."

"My thoughts exactly." Hermione laughed as she took to the figurine to the shopkeeper to purchase the item so they could be on their way. It was getting close to eleven o'clock, and the girls did not wish to be late.

Hermione had never felt so pampered in her life. Madame Gefjon had treated her as if she were an important patron. When they first arrived, the matron had taken the girl's cloaks and escorted them to a private room in the back of the store where she provided them with tea and biscuits as Hermione stood while the charmed tape measure moved around her to take her measurements. By the time they left, Hermione had been outfitted with an entire winter wardrobe, including a few lighter items for spring. Each time that Hermione insisted that she had more clothes than she could ever hope to wear, Madame Gefjon said that she had been given specific instructions by Professor Snape not to allow her to leave until she had everything that she could possibly need. Before leaving the shop, Hermione had purchased several new lounging robes, several casual robes, a couple of robes suitable for visiting and travel, a winter cloak, a spring cloak, several pairs of pajamas, knickers, and bras. There were so many boxes that Hermione had to request that the items be sent along to Hogwarts separately.

As they exited the shop, Hermione turned to Ginny and told her that she needed to stop at her Gringotts vault to retrieve a gift.

"Fine, but after that we stop for lunch, I think that Professor Snape would not be pleased with me if I only let you get away with biscuits and tea as your noon meal."

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Hermione returned to the castle shortly before supper. She hugged Ginny, thanked her for another pleasant outing, and told her that she'd see her after Christmas. Entering the sitting room, Hermione saw that Severus was seated in his armchair in front of the fire reading a text on Potions.

Hermione took her things to her room where she found the stack of Gefjon boxes sitting on her bed. Depositing her other items, she returned to the sitting room to pass through on her way to the Great Hall.

She walked over to stand next to the professor's chair. "I just wanted to tell you thanks." When he looked up at her quizzically, she added, "for the clothes. I appreciate it."

"It was nothing," he muttered as he turned his attentions back to his book.

She took a step closer to him. "Well, I truly appreciate it," she said as she leaned down. Hermione carefully tucked his dark hair back behind his ear and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Severus was momentarily stunned by her actions, but before he could respond to the young witch, she turned and exited the room for supper.

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

The first part of the month flew by rather quickly. During Hermione's meetings with Professor Flitwick, the pair began decorating the castle for the Yuletide. Hermione charmed everlasting icicles to adorn the ceilings of the school corridors and placed heaps of enchanted snow in spare corners and along the walls of infrequently used hallways.

Hermione spent countless hours attempting to teach the suits of armor to sing "Les Anges dans nos campagnes" in its traditional French. It appeared that whenever she finished with one row of the armor and went to work on the next, she would return to the first set to hear various swear words being thrown in periodically.

She finally gave up when Filch confided that Peeves was the cause, and it was the primary reason that the only Christmas in the last forty years that they had charmed the armor to sing was when the other Wizarding schools had visited during the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione silently vowed that she was going to think of a way to prevent the meddlesome poltergeist from being able to tamper with her charms by the following year.

A week before Christmas, while doing her nightly bedtime ritual in which she read the fairy tale and listened to her daughter's steady heartbeat, Hermione felt the first flutters of a kick. She could sometimes hear the tiny movements of active limbs, but before this, she had been unable to discern the feeling of the movements. She placed the storybook aside and lay back against the pillows. Concentrating on her belly, she closed her eyes and waited. She was soon rewarded with what felt like the rustling of fairy wings followed by a light tapping. A single tear began to trickle down her cheek as she waited and was again rewarded with the slight, fluttery movements.

The castle was quiet. Only five students stayed over through the holidays, and most members of the teaching staff went home to spend the time with their families. Severus was not overly pleased with the decorations that Hermione had invaded his quarters with for the festive season. She would only smile and tell him that he was going to have to get used to celebrating what he considered to be a frilly and useless holiday once he was a father. He would simply tell her that he would do no such thing, and his son would not even know what Christmas was if he had any say in the matter. Hermione noticed, however, that he said this with little conviction.

Christmas morning arrived, and Hermione was up earlier than was normal. She was as excited as a child awaiting Saint Nicolas. She was up, dressed, showered, and curled up in her chair in the sitting room sipping her morning cup of tea when Severus finally emerged from his chambers.

"Happy Christmas!" she proclaimed in a voice that Severus was quite certain belonged to a bubbly teenager.

He merely grumbled in reply as he trudged over to his chair at the dining table and grabbed his morning coffee.

"Oh hurry up, Severus!" Hermione exclaimed. He glared daggers at her, but unfortunately for the cranky and surly Potions masters, it did little to curb her youthful enthusiasm.

"Are you going to behave in this childish manner all day, Miss Granger?" he asked after taking his first sip of liquid energy.

"That is quite possible," she replied with a smile and from the safety of her chair.

Severus glowered at his coffee. Why the bloody hell did people have to act like this on Christmas? he wondered.

"Come on. Hurry up so you can open presents!" she prodded.

"Miss Granger...," he started.

"Severus, we've been on a friendly first name basis for months now. Don't start calling me Miss Granger just to emphasize that you're in a sour mood."

He quirked a black eyebrow at her and inclined his head. "As I was saying, Hermione, since Albus has been gone and Minerva has been indisposed, I have not received any Christmas presents. I never enjoyed this holiday much to begin with, and I have never thought that there was anything worth celebrating." His voice was soft and low, and Hermione knew from experience that he was in a dangerous mood.

"Nothing worth celebrating, Severus?" she asked. "Curious you should say that. Ever since the fall of the Voldemort, I thought there has been plenty cause for celebration."

"You really think that, Hermione?" he asked whilst setting his coffee on the table and locking his gaze upon her large brown eyes. "Do you not remember the hovel that you were living in only a few short months ago? One of the finest young Wizarding minds being wasted at two dead end jobs because of some egotistical and greedy politicians that decided to make the should be war heroes into war criminals? You lost your family as a result of this war, Hermione! The world has been denied the pleasure of knowing your friend Potter! That is not even mentioning another great Wizarding mind that is rotting away in St. Mungo's as we speak! She is slowly awaiting death, Hermione! Do you think she has anything worth celebrating?"

Hermione was startled by his attacking words. The giddy mood that she'd been feeling since she had awoken that morning was slowly washing away leaving a deepening sorrow in its wake. She felt a small protest from below her navel and a small smile returned to grace her face.

"I happen to know that you have some Christmas present over here, Severus," she said as she rose from her chair and walked over towards him.

"But first..." she continued as she stopped in front of him and very slowly unbuttoned the lower buttons of her shirt.

Severus was stunned. What the bloody hell is she doing? He was very uncertain as to what he truly felt about this newly brazened young woman. He realized that she had stopped opening her shirt...she had only unbuttoned the bottom three and was currently folding down the top of her loose maternity pants. He stared at her bulging midsection. There were a few thin, vertical, pink lines marring a small portion of the taut, creamy, white skin. His mind was whirring with confusion. He felt every range of emotion from nervousness to yearning desire to anger that this girl was toying with him in such a way.

She slowly and deliberately reached down and grabbed his hand. Severus' stomach clenched. For the briefest of moments, he felt as if she was going to attempt to kiss him again. Only this time, maybe she would chose a more meaningful location to place her lips. Severus shook his head rapidly to expel these unbidden thoughts.

Hermione quirked a questioning eyebrow at him, but when he did not seem to notice, she continued with what she was doing.

He heard her mutter some words under her breath. Severus barely had time to wonder if the words had been a spell when the hand that she was holding began to thrum with a warm glow of magic. The magic pulsated from his fingertips down to his wrist and then stopped. Severus clenched his hand on impulse, and his fingers unclenched by reflex nearly immediately. The sensory receptors on his hands felt about ten times more sensitive than normal.

He looked up at her quizzically and was met with a calm reassuring smile. "Before you open your gifts, Severus, someone has been wanting to say hello to you since you walked into the sitting room this morning." She proceeded to place his sensitized hand over her swollen belly. He was uncertain what it was that he should have been expecting to feel. Hermione seemed to be concentrating when suddenly she moved his hand over to the left side of her stomach. "There," she said.

Severus barely had time to register that his hand was resting just above her knickers when he felt it. The sensation was a soft gentle tapping. He pressed firmer and flattened his hand against her belly so that he could feel more. He was completely enthralled with the sensation. After another five minutes of chasing the tapping movements across Hermione's abdomen, he looked up at her face. It held an angelic look. A look that portrayed sweetness, innocence, and pure joy.

She noticed him loosening his grip on her body and looked down to see his eyes studying her. "Oh, did the charm wear off? I can cast it again if you'd like."

Severus regained his composure as he took his eyes off of her and quickly removed his hands from her. "No, that will not be necessary." He attempted to look disinterested in what had just occurred, and he nearly wanted to kick himself when he heard himself ask, "What was that spell?" Hermione's face lit up more. Was it even possible for her to look more happy? Severus wondered.

"Oh, it's fairly simple. I found it in a Charms textbook when I was working with Professor Flitwick last week. It's very easy. Sensus Maximus."

"You found it in a Charms textbook? Not one of the pregnancy texts?" Severus asked accusingly. "Are you certain it's safe?"

"Oh, bloody hell!" she snapped. "You know, you really are the most overprotective, overbearing git that I know, Severus!" she fumed. "Yes, the spell is fine. I checked with Poppy. It's not in the texts because most witches don't use it anymore. They usually just listen to the heartbeat since that tells more accurate information, and the mother can usually start feeling the baby move by the time that she's allowed to cast the spell on herself so there is really no point in it." She stormed back over to the armchair and sat herself down as she grabbed her small pile of gifts to open. God, that man can be impossible sometimes!

"I see," he grumbled quietly from the table. God, I hope that someone gave her some chocolate for Christmas and that it calms her back down! Severus silently pleaded as he attempted to ignore the feelings of care and concern that were venturing to invade his heart.

A/N: Okay, see...I told you Hermione would be a little bit happier! There is more to Christmas day coming up in the next chapter and more of the Severus' thoughts.

The most excellent Averygoodun has been kind enough to do some artwork for this chapter. (We participated in the SS/HG Gift Exchange and I squeed with delight when I got my gift!) Anyhow, to see art for this scene go here:

http://sshgexchange.serpentsstratagem.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=3&pos=9

Southern's Notes: Why that ruddy...! I'm glad that he seems to be thinking of her a bit differently these days. I can't wait to see what happens next. Will he continue to be a sourpuss? Will he appreciate his gifts, though he claims to hate the holiday? I'll be waiting on my cliff for those answers. All are welcome to join me.

The spell with sensitized hands comes from Southern Witch 69's "The Succubus," which was in turn inspired by Ramos' "Hinge of Fate." (Both are excellent stories, by the way!) Now for a brief lesson in butchered Latin and where some of the names came from in this chapter:

Vesta: Roman Goddess of Fertility

Gero: Latin for give birth to

puella : Latin for girl.

puer : Latin for boy.

Cerno: Latin for decide, discern

Gefjon: Germanic Goddess of Fertility

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/godslove.htm