Unexpectedly Expecting

50: Going Into The Fortress

Hermione

The news came like a bolt out of the blue, and yet I wasn't too surprised by this outcome, and nor was my husband, apparently. The knocking on the Headmaster's office door was relentless, and Severus groaned as he rolled over to sit up in bed, smoothing back his hair from his face.

"I suppose I have to see what Minerva wants," He murmured, half awake.

I rolled over as much as I could with my damnable big belly. "Will you come back?"

"I imagine the staff would be quite put out if I showed up naked, lioness," He grinned, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.

"That's not a no."
"No, no, it isn't."

He slid out of bed, and summoned a robe to him magically. He left, answered the door, and I laid in bed, a sinking feeling filling me as I waited with baited breath for what was going to happen next.

There was some hurried talk, and raised voices, but I stayed put in bed, wringing my hands in the sheets as I sat up in bed. For what seemed like a long time, but was perhaps only ten minutes, Severus returned looking worried, at least to me; to an outsider, he would have looked just as stoic as always.

He marched into the closet, and began rifling through our clothes. "Severus, what's wrong?"

He paused in his movements of packing magically, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Deatheaters and Snatchers have been spotted apparating into Hogsmeade village, and while the dementors are handling the situation, there is no time to evacuate all of the students from the grounds in time. You need to go home, I won't risk you in your condition."

The Gryffindor side of me that longed to fight by his side hated this notion, but I stamped down those emotions, and swallowed past the lump in my throat. "If I weren't on the verge of delivering, nothing on Earth would keep me from fighting by your side."

He cupped my cheek with his hand, and kissed me softly, but deeply. "I know. I know you would follow me into hell, lioness. But, I need you safe behind the wards of the Manor tonight."

I got out of bed, and began dressing as he was dressing in his official robes. He put them on with magic, but he struggled with the last button at his throat. I placed my fingers there, and hooked it in place. He pulled me into his arms, and stared into my eyes. I stared back up at him, and I couldn't help but tear up. He gently wiped my tears away with his thumbs. Reluctantly, he released me, and we finished getting ready.

After he tossed in the floo powder, and the fireplace flames in the Headmaster office turned emerald green, I was about to step in and shout out my destination, when he firmly grabbed my arm.

There were tears in his eyes, and I made to speak, but he shook his head. He grabbed me, and kissed me instead. I melted into the kiss, and it turned passionate, almost rough, as he tried to convey the depths of his love for me into this final deep snog. I kissed him back just as deeply, moaning loudly as we kissed.

Finally, he pulled away, his forehead resting against mine as he whispered, his voice hoarse with naked emotion, "I love you, Hermione. In this life or the next, we will be together. If I do not survive this--"

"You will," I cut him off. "Don't say that, Severus. Our sons need you...I need you."

Severus, caressed my cheeks softly. "I know, beloved. But if I do not survive this, I want you to live for me. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "I do. But, you're coming back, or I will never let your ghost hear the end of it."

Severus laughed, "I have no doubt of that whatsoever. All the same, we must part now."

I hated that he was right, and I knew that he was only doing this to protect me, but all the same leaving him in that office was the hardest thing I ever had to do.

I simply nodded my head in acknowledgement, but then grabbed him and kissed him at the last second. We snogged for a long time it seemed, and when we broke away for air, we both knew that our time was up.

"I love you," I said.
"I love you more, always."

We exchanged a smile, and I stepped away from him, and into the emerald flames of the fireplace. "Prince Manor foyer!" I shouted clearly.

Severus looked like he stepped forward as if to follow me, but then thought better of it, and then I was spinning fast in the flames until the floo network transferred me to the correct fireplace.

Luna Malfoy waited for me, and so was Star, my midnight blue kneazle cat. She nudged my legs, and purred a sad greeting. I crouched down to pet her soft lynx-like ears.

"I know, girl," I cooed to her. "I know. I want him to be okay as well."

I rose, and Luna practically crushed me in a bear hug, or as much as her smaller baby bump would allow.

"Draco just left me to go join the Slytherins in Hogwarts," Luna announced, tearing up. "I don't know if Lucius and Andromeda are coming back, but the last I heard, they were in America meeting Draco's long lost half sister."

"I didn't know he had a sister."

"Neither did I. But apparently, she was raised as an American, so she didn't go to Hogwarts," Luna agreed. "I hope we all get through this so that I can meet her."

"I hope for that as well. For now, let's just try to keep our minds active while we wait for the battle to be done," I encouraged.

Luna agreed, and for most of that fateful night, we helped the house elf staff to reinforce the protective wards on the Manor, and played muggle board games to keep our minds occupied. Some of the time we even watched movies, and tried to ignore the feeling that we both were feeling that people we had grown up with were possibly dying by Voldemort's dark regime.

It was at midnight that I could not ignore the intuition that my husband needed help, and that it was time to call my dragon Lord to turn the tide of the battle on the side of the light...