Your Baby is the Size of A...

10 Weeks - Your baby is the size of a strawberry.

"Size of a strawberry," he repeated, watching Poppy's fingers push on his stomach, inspecting the very beginning of the swell as the lingering twinge of magic tickled his skin – the inquisitive spell having shown everything to be right in his world, or rather as right as it could be.

"Yes." A beat of silence. "Do you want to know what it is? I've found a spell for it, I think."

"No. I'd rather not."

"You're not even the least but curious," she goaded.

"No."

"Severus," Poppy griped, nearly pouting as he got up off the table and began to dress.

"I'd rather not get too attached, Poppy," in case this whole thing goes tits up remained unspoken.

"I'll see you next week," she finally said, a decidedly melancholy edge to her tone as he left the Infirmary.

The walk to the Dungeons was full of thoughts, because of course, there was a desire to know the gender of the baby – and it was hard for him to already not be irrevocably attached. All of which, Severus hated as he ran through the motions of starting class – setting the seemingly unteachable brats up for properly trying their hands at the Wiggenweld Potion. He scowled at nothing in particular as they went about it – thoroughly terrifying a Hufflepuff Second Year coincidently. The deep sigh rattled free from the bones of his chest as a cauldron at the back of the classroom let out a puff of lilac smoke which should have been more of a violet color. It only added to his rather nasty mood.

"If none of you are willing to listen to instructions," he hissed, voice low and dangerous as he eyed the students – all of whom were promptly frozen in their seats with fear – "then I don't have the patience to teach you today. Ten points from Hufflepuff each," he ground out.

A few of the Ravenclaws snickered, and Severus turned thunderously on them. "Twenty from Ravenclaw each." A headache was stirring between his temples. "Get out of my Dungeons!"

The classroom emptied in record time – leaving him alone with smoldering potions and wasted ingredients.

A cramp gripped at his insides, and Severus gritted his teeth against the onslaught. His fingers shook as he lifted his now cold tea to his lips – the chamomile very nearly unpalatable. Another sharp twist in his guts left him choked for breath, his hand automatically pressing against the tightness of his belly.

"Brat," he gasped out.

"That's not nice, Severus – I'm sure they were trying," Lupin chuckled from the doorway.

He certainly didn't have the patience for the werewolf. "What do you want Lupin," he spat out, managing to conjure up an acceptable amount of hostility despite the pounding in his head and the twisting in his stomach.

"The House Points for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw just dropped dramatically." The lighter man looked pointedly around the classroom. "I figured they had utterly destroyed your classroom or singed your favorite robes perhaps."

Playful emotion buzzed at the back of his thoughts, and Severus scowled even further at Lupin. "Think yourself funny, do you." The wolfish grin on the other's lips gave him all the answer he needed. "Piss off," he ground out, getting to his feet and disappearing into his rooms behind a slammed door.

Severus found himself in the bathroom once more, cold and bitter tea flooding his mouth for the second time that hour – going rather than coming. There was a sharp, brittle pop near his throat – suddenly his chest felt very tight, the ability to breath without pain all but gone, making him scowl further. It did nothing to impede the twisting of his innards, the violent upheaval that managed to dispel every crumb he had been fortunate enough to consume. The old injury – a broken collarbone – had been stirred to life from the constant retching, Severus could only discern, the healed fracture points weakened. He pulled at his robes, inspecting the deep cut of his clavicle. Lightly gasping through barely parted lips, he tried to ignore the ache in his chest. Severus scrabbled in the counters for a bone regrowth potion.