Unrequited

Disclaimer: don\'t own the characters, only the tune. don\'t sue me. :P
***********************************************************************

When I came to on the floor of the entrance hall, it was to snickers and laughter from around me. The last thing I remember is that little bitch hitting me with some hex. My godfather\'s face floated above me and I could see the barely contained hilarity dancing in those ungodly dark eyes.

\"Come, Draco. We\'ll get that nasty hex reversed.\" He extended his hand and helped me to my feet.

\"What hex?\" I asked ingenuously. Judging by the burst of laughter from the students around me, it was a bad one.

\"Alright you hellions, back to your houses before I give you enough detentions to drown in!\" Severus\' pronouncement sent the students scurrying back their little hidey-holes. And we were, thankfully, alone. \"Come along and I\'ll give you the countercurse. Although you\'ll have a bit of scarring on your face afterwards.\"

\"It was that little witch, Granger. *She* did this to me.\" Severus looked at me with a bit of remorse and not a little amusement.

\"Do you have any proof that she would do this to you? A pain in the backside she may be, but I\'ve never known the little Gryffindor to attack without provocation.\"

\"Why should I need proof that it was her? The results are here in front of you! I want her expelled, now!\" I was thoroughly pissed off. Then again, it wasn\'t undeserved. Admittedly, it was a small enough price to pay for watching those owls have a go at her. I\'d pay my entire fortune to see that again.

\"Draco, you know that isn\'t possible.\" We\'d reached his offices. He opened the door and made me sit at one of the worktables. \"Besides, even if it were, it\'d be terribly unfair. Merlin, I can\'t believe I just said that.\"

\"Going soft in your old age, Godfather?\"

\"Merlin forbid.\" Severus went to a cabinet and pulled out a carefully labelled bottle of countercurse. \"Drink this.\"

He unstoppered the bottle but I stayed his hand. \"I want to see what Granger did to me before I erase the effects.\"

Severus had a resigned look on his face. \"As you wish.\" His acquiescent words were truculent, to say the least. He went to his bathroom and came out with a small hand mirror. \"Here.\"

I looked at it and immediately recoiled. The larger of the boils had already burst and there was purplish-grey fluid crusting around the ragged edges. There were more large purple boils just pulsating around my chin. It was a wonder I could speak at all. When the others burst, there were daintier red ones beginning to emerge. In that moment I don\'t think I\'ve hated anyone more than I hated Granger. I tossed the mirror on the floor and downed the bottle of countercurse.

Severus stood there and watched me sanguinely. \"It\'s got a fair bit of anti-scarring draught in it. You should be fairly normal following that. One or two marks will be left, but women like that sort of thing.\"

I made a face at my godfather and felt the potion begin its work. Within the space of a few minutes, I felt one hundred per-cent better. I tentatively put my hand to my face but Severus stilled it.

\"Don\'t. The larger ones haven\'t healed completely. You could infect them. Go into the bathroom and have a look, if you must.\"

I hopped down from my stool and went into the bathroom. The torches flared to life and I looked at myself in the glass. The red ones had faded into oblivion and the purple ones were shrinking. It was the ones that had already burst that were having trouble healing. They were closing around the edges but I saw that I would have a couple of nasty scars: one in my eyebrow and the other right beneath my lip. But I decided that they gave me a rakish air and kept my face from being so pretty. Granger was lucky for that. If any of those putrid things had left me ugly, she\'d have paid for it.

The last of the open patches of skin healed shut and it was just as I\'d predicted and I exited the bathroom. Severus looked my face over. He smirked. \"Looks as if she inadvertently did you a favour.\"

With a chuckle, I replied, \"Looks as. Now, if you will excuse me.\"

Severus\' voice stopped me as I went to open the door. \"Draco. Don\'t do anything foolish.\"

I didn\'t turn around. \"Not planning to, Godfather.\" Severus didn\'t see the smile I was hiding.
***************

I felt immense satisfaction after hitting Malfoy with that curse. I vow it was almost better than sex. I still felt disgusting as all hell, though. I ran up the staircase and Artemis, smelling me, didn\'t even bother with the password. She swung open and let me in without a word. I stripped off my clothes and threw them into the fireplace. A quick *Incendio* set them to blaze almost immediately. I went into the bathroom and turned on the taps as hot I could stand them. The pungent scent of mangoes and passionfruit sailed into the air.

I stepped into the tub and hissed at the near-to-scalding water. The bubbles and the heat irritated the bites but I knew that it was needed to kill whatever germs lingered. I took up a bar of soap and lathered up lavishly. There was a layer of grime floating at the top of the water and I drained the tub and began again. This time I shampooed my hair. I think I washed at least ten times before I felt human again.

When I pulled the stopper from the tub all of my adrenaline went swirling down the drain along with all the dirt and muck. I was lethargic and I could barely keep my eyes open. I dried myself and put on a pair of pyjamas. I dragged myself to bed and huddled into the bedlinens. I was suddenly cold and tired and all I wanted to do was sleep.
*********

After leaving Severus I ran into Pansy, who\'d been curiously absent the whole time. Yes, I\'d sent her away when Granger managed to throw off the body bind, but I hadn\'t the idea that she would stay gone. She pouted a bit as she touched my new scars but I could see from the spark in her avaricious little eyes that she wasn\'t turned off by them in the least.

\"That little bitch. She ought to be damned glad your new \'accessories\' look as good as they do.\" Little did Pansy know she echoed my earlier thoughts. \"Have you given some thought as to what we\'re going to do next?\"

\"No, I hadn\'t Pans, my first thought was getting those horrid boils off of me. I\'ll summon you when I\'m ready.\" I left her standing in the corridor on the way to my room.

I felt as if I could sleep for a thousand years. I took a shower and crawled into bed. My body was tired but my mind was racing along at a thousand kilometres an hour. The revenge Pansy and I devised was truly ingenious. Granger looked like crap, no pun intended, when the worst was over with. The only part I could regret was that she didn\'t suffer any public humiliation like I did. But that could definitely be arranged. How best to achieve it was a different story. I flicked my wand to dim the torches and settled down into the covers.
********

I slept perhaps three hours, no more. When I woke up I was sweating like mad. My head ached and even the starlight from the uncurtained windows hurt my eyes. I tossed off the covers and flicked my wand over to open the casements. The cool autumn air flowed in and felt like heaven. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn\'t to last as I soon got the chills. I was shaking like a leaf in the wind and pulled the duvet back up over my shoulders.

I fell back asleep, alternating between fever and chills all night. When the sun began peeking over the trees of the forest, I woke up with horrid nausea. My delirious brain registered it as wretched morning sickness and I bolted for the bathroom where I got hit with dry heaves. There was nothing coming up except bile and water mixed. I collapsed onto the floor, still convulsed with dry heaves. Every now and again I would jerk with nausea but lay there until it passed.

After perhaps another hour or so past dawn, I got up enough strength to peel my sweat soaked pyjamas off and take a short shower. It took every ounce of my strength to pull on jeans and a t-shirt. I couldn\'t manage actual shoes, so I stuck my feet into flip-flops and made my way out of my room. On my way down to the great hall, I ran into Ron and Harry.

They both looked as bad as I felt. Obviously they couldn\'t handle their liquor. Both were as hungover as could be. Harry was as green as his eyes and Ron was a strange shade of grey. They were squinting against the light from the windows. So was I, although for different reasons.

\"Jeez, Herm. I don\'t remember you drinking with us yesterday.\" This was from Harry.

\"Ha. I\'m surprised you remember much of anything,\" I replied, feeling a bit sour.

\"That\'s a truth, Hermione mine.\" Ron piped up. Even beneath the ashen colour of his face, he still managed to give off an insouciant air. \"I am starving. Let\'s get some breakfast. I need to put some colour in my cheeks before Gin sees me and starts harping like Mother.\"

They started down the stairs ahead of me. I went to put a foot on the top step and a tsunami of dizziness and heat washed over me. That was the last thing I remember.
**********

I was walking by the last staircase before going into the Great Hall. I looked up and saw the Three Musketeers looking as if they\'d been put through the wringer. Strangely enough, or perhaps not so strange for them, they were smiling through their shiny, sick faces. I curled my lip in contempt and kept going when I heard a shout. Turning back, I saw Granger tumbling forward, more limp than a wet noodle. Weasley and Potter managed to catch her between them. They began raising holy hell and the one professor came out that I was truly wishing wouldn\'t have done.

\"What on earth are you two nimrods doing with that girl?\" Snape sneered in his most contemptous manner.

\"Sir,\" Weasley ground out, obviously trying to control his temper. \"We were on our way to breakfast when Hermione just passed out.\"

Severus smirked. \"An overabundance of beer then. She should learn to hold her liquor better.\"

\"She doesn\'t drink, you prat.\" That was Potter snapping at my Godfather.

\"Detention for the next month, Mr. Potter,\" Severus said silkily. D\'you know, I really believe he relishes punishing those three.

\"It\'ll be worth it if it\'ll make you take your head out of your arse and *look* at her.\" There was a bit of fire in the green eyed whelp after all.

Severus went up the stairs to where the trio still rested to take a good look at Granger. That when I got the oddest shock of all. My godfather, the sworn adversary of all things Gryffindor, swept the unconscious girl up into his arms and carried her off. Her two knight-errants followed in his wake.

McGonagall came tripping down the stairs in one of her bilious tartan robe ensembles, took one look at Severus and the rest and fell into step behind him. I tipped up the stairs, curious about what was going on with the girl. Surely she wasn\'t suffering some sort of ill effects from my small bit of revenge? McGonagall barked questions at my godfather but he kept himself quiet and in check until they got to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was there, eating a scone with jam and drinking a bit of tea. Lap Seng from the smell of it.

\"Who do we have here?\" She looked down at Hermione in Severus\' arms and became all business. \"Put her right here.\"

\"She\'s absolutely burning up with fever, Poppy,\" Snape told the medi-witch as he lay Granger on the bed.

\"As if I couldn\'t tell that for myself, Severus. My question is more of the how and why variety,\" she snapped as she ran her wand over Hermione in a cursory examination.

\"I\'m very curious to know the answer to that as well, Poppy,\" he replied, a tinge of tartness in his voice.

\"As am I.\" McGonagall\'s snippy voice spoke up from where she stood at the foot of the bed. Potter and Weasley flanked her. Concern was etched onto all of their faces.

\"Well, for starters, she\'s struggling with a massive infection of something. It\'s presently overwhelming her immune system - which, by the way, is being taxed by her pregnancy.\"

\"What?!\" Four voices called out in answer. One of the voices was my own.

My godfather turned at the sound of my voice. \"Yes, Draco. You may as well come in and hear all of it.\"

\"What in the hell is he doing here?\" Potter and Weasley gave me dirty looks. They knew about the flirtation Granger and I had. I don\'t believe they knew that it had progressed that far.

\"You dirty, disgusting little -\" Potter launched himself at me. He managed to get in a good two or three punches before I kicked him in the stomach. To which his wingman promptly kicked me in the balls. Lovely. What joy is mine. I went down like a cup of cold sick.

The most astonishing thing is, no one gave me a charm for the pain. I just had to lay there writhing on the floor of the hospital. Waves of nausea kept rippling up from my injured parts through all of me. Through the fog, I could hear Pomfrey and Severus speaking.

\"Whatever would Mr. Malfoy here have to do with it?\" the medi-witch asked. \"I thought Hermione was stepping out with young Ronald.\"

\"She, erm...she caught me cheating on her with a classmate and dumped me.\" That was Weasel\'s whiny voice. \"That\'s when she took up with Ferret-face over here.\"

\"Careful, Weasley. That\'s my godson you\'re talking about.\" Thank Merlin for Severus. He\'s the only one who would stick up for me at this point.

Weasley decided to stay silent, but I could hear the grinding of his teeth. Good job, Weasel. I got up from the floor, taking deep breaths.

\"Besides, that\'s not my kid anyway. Congratulations, Weasley. You\'re the first in your family to spawn another generation of red-headed neanderthals.\"

Pomfrey, who was in the process of forcing some sort of anti-microbial down Hermione\'s throat, concurred. \"There\'s no way this could be young Malfoy\'s child. She is simply too far gone for that.\"

\"There is a way.\" Every head in the room except Hermione\'s turned to look at my godfather. Severus, what have you done?

\"The morning after their little illicit tryst, Granger came to me agitated and on the verge of hysterics.\" At Potter and Weasley\'s disbelieving looks, Severus amended his statement. \"Oh, outwardly calm, but strung tighter than a bowstring.\"

The dynamic duo gave matching snorts of amused agreement. Snape continued his tale. \"She\'d forgotten to brew the necessary potions on time. Well, more or less, it wasn\'t so much forgetting but the presumption that she wouldn\'t need the draught before time. And the next batch wouldn\'t be ready for another fifteen or so days. Am I correct, Poppy?\"

\"Certainly. They\'re a little over the halfway mark now.\" A bit more colour was returning to Granger\'s face and her breathing wasn\'t so laboured anymore.

\"And as I\'m sure we\'re all aware of the effectiveness of the potion once its time has run out, I won\'t bore you with the particulars. Miss Granger had the correct notion that she might be pregnant and came to me.\"

\"You?!\" Minerva was spluttering with outrage. \"Why you? When have you ever offered an understanding shoulder to lean on, Severus Justinian Snape?\"

\"I think it\'s your self-righteous indignation coupled with the fact that she would not only have had to deal with you, but with Poppy and Albus as well.\" McGonagall\'s face tightened but she kept silent. \"I listened to her story and told her that I could not run a test until at least a four-week had passed. The issue was a pressing one to me, being that Quidditch season is upon us and I did not want my star player distracted. I brewed an Acceleration Draught and summoned her down to my office. I also asked Draco to come down and hide himself in the room because I did not approve of his being unaware of the situation.\"

\"Sneaky, Godfather.\"

\"I am, after all, a Slytherin.\" The famous smirk was in place. \"She drank it down and within five minutes, the effects were noticeable.\"

\"Severus. Do you know what possible harm she could\'ve come to if that Speed-up had gone awry?\" Poppy\'s voice held a censuring tone.

\"My dear Madam Pomfrey, I am a Potions Master. I am the best. Nothing could have happened except the desired outcome.\" Severus spoke with the utmost authority. \"Now, the story of how she ended up in a maternal state is out. How did she end up in *this* particular condition is beyond me. Draco?\"

\"Suffice it to say that I was extremely displeased at the fact that she cast me aside like an old shoe. I merely paid her back for her treachery, not thinking the consequences through.\" I lifted my chin in the air, demanding them to challenge me.

\"Fine. I don\'t need to know the whys and the wherefores. I think if I did, I should have you expelled - which, by the by, would suit me just fine with the season upon us.\" McGonagall surprised me by not calling for my head. \"I think Mr. Malfoy here ought to be damned glad that his sire is no longer upon this earth. There would most certainly be hell to pay if he were.\"

I silently agreed. She echoed the thoughts that had been running through my mind since the revelation. Still, I did not relish the thought of my mother finding out. Narcissa Deirdre Black Malfoy was a formidable figure herself. Everyone assumed some sort of loveless marriage between my parents. Not so. They had been madly devoted to one another. It nearly broke my mum in two when Father died. This would be just the sort of thing to send her running to me in spitting fury.

\"I think...I think I shouldn\'t like for Mother to find out. She\'s still a bit delicate from Father\'s death.\"

Severus barked a sharp laugh. \"Delicate? Narcissa? Pissed-off is more like it. Rest assured, no one outside this room will know anything until absolutely necessary.\"

Poppy conjured up a screen that separated us from the bed. I could hear the rustle of clothes as she pulled them off to examine Granger. She let out a gasp.

\"What\'s all this? Owl bites to be sure. At least I\'ve found the source of the infection.\" She kept muttering to herself and we could see flashes of magic as she healed each scab individually.

Minerva turned to look at me accusingly. \"Mr. Malfoy, all of our owls are tame. All of the owls that we allow students to bring are tame. There\'s only one place where you would be able to get an untamed bird.\"

I stayed quiet, knowing that she would name my accomplice in the wretched matter.

\"Parkinson. That owl, or owls, came from Francis\' aviary, didn\'t they?\" She didn\'t need or want the answer. \"Where is Pansy? I know she had something to do with this. If you won\'t tell me what in the bloody hell happened, perhaps she will.\" McGonagall stalked from the infirmary with fire in her eyes. Weasley and Potter looked as if they were ready to pummel me again. Even Severus\' face showed a spark of anger.

\"I am now curious as to what exactly did happen.\" All of a sudden it felt as if my brain were being split in two. I was forced to re-live all of the events of yesterday, only now with the knowing that I was bringing harm onto an innocent factor in this mess. He picked a bit more through my brain to discover what I knew and when I knew it.

\"I should slap you silly, you spoiled little whelp. Why did you leave before time? You could have avoided all of this. If there\'s anything Lucius should have taught you was the folly of being so peremptory.\"

\"I didn\'t know. And Godfather, when have you known me to let a slight go by, however small?\"

\"Never. But as you\'re to be a father I should think you have better things to do than plot out petty revenge.\" I could see Severus taking great relish in saying that. That\'s when it hit me.

I was to be someone\'s father. I was barely seventeen. Granger was the same. Our hasty actions could hardly be attributed to maturity. I wasn\'t ready to be someone\'s father. Not at all. In the midst of my wallowing, I saw a nightgown go sailing across the room and behind the screen. The folded fabric disappeared and Poppy ascended from her perch on the bed. It looked as if Granger were now sleeping peacefully. The sick grey tint of her skin was now gone, even though she looked awfully pale.

\"Well. I\'ve gotten rid of most of the bacteria floating through her system. She was very near to the edge, the illness being exacerbated by her condition. I\'m going to have to keep her here until immune system is back on its feet. No more pranks and no more upsets of any kind.\"

There came a great heaving breath from the body under discussion and she opened her eyes. \"I\'m not made of spun glass, Madam Pomfrey.\"

\"I know my girl, but you\'ve been under quite a lot of physical strain and I daresay not a small amount of mental strain as well. Do me the favour of resting for a bit.\" Poppy stroked the young witch\'s hair. It was the nicest I\'d ever seen the woman. Perhaps the prospect of one of her favourite students facing motherhood brought out the delicacy in her.

Granger gave a soft snort of laughter. \"Don\'t you worry. I don\'t think I could summon enough energy to do anything other than sleep.\"

\"Alright then.\" Pomfrey straightened up and gave me a hard stare. \"I would think that some of you have quite a bit to talk about. Let us leave them to it, shall we?\" She shooed the others out of the room and left me and Granger there, staring at each other.

I was the first to look away. Those eyes burned into me painfully and I couldn\'t take her scrutiny.

\"Is your vanity so great that it cannot take rejection?\" Hermione asked the question quietly, without the least hint of rancor. It made me ashamed.

That shame made me indignant. \"Granger...how was I supposed to know? You didn\'t tell me. You just sent me on my way posthaste. I reacted in just the sort of manner you expected.\"

\"True. Little did I realize that you and that whore Parkinson had so much creativity.\" There was a bit of amusement on her face and I marveled that she could keep a bit of humour about it.

\"Pansy does have her talents.\"

\"Isn\'t that the truth. Did those little plague boils I gave you sting a bit? Just a little?\" She asked, obviously savouring the thought of my face covered in festering pustules.

\"Left scars, they did.\"

\"Good,\" she replied fiercely. \"I\'ve now got a few of my own to contend with.\"

For the first time ever, I was slightly apprehensive about someone other than my parents. I sat down on the bed opposite, just watching those eyes bore into mine relentlessly. \"What are you going to do? I mean, to Pansy and I.\"

She smiled a wolfish grin, the likes of which I\'d never before seen on that pretty face. \"Don\'t you worry your blond little head darling. You\'ll get yours and that little whore, too.\"

\"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my?\" I quoted cheekily.

\"Far worse.\" There it was again, that wolfish grin.

\"When were you going to tell me that you were pregnant?\"

\"Hopefully never. I was hoping to have taken care of the problem before it got out of hand.\"

\"Taken care of...d\'you mean to say you were going to get rid of it?\"

\"Of course. What else would you have had me do? We\'re hardly fit to be parents to anyone. Look at us, Draco. Both of us suffering from silly pranks and plotting more. Not really a good situation to bring a child into, being that its parents despise one another.\"

\"Who said I despised you?\" The query popped out before I could stop it. Damnit.

\"Pfft. Like I didn\'t need to be told.\" She smirked at me in fair imitation. \"I suppose now that notion is a pipe dream. With Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey knowing, I\'ll have to keep it and raise it.\"

I had nothing more to say, being utterly blank by the fact that there was now another person in the world besides myself that I should have to care for. And this small woman, no more a girl, had that person inside of her. I felt stupid and useless. And somehow...oddly protective. I did. I wanted to shield her from all the world\'s ills, every sort of harm. Even from myself. I realized that she was willing to shoulder the entire burden. I realized that there was a part of me that wanted to let her. What did I, a callow youth, know about raising a child? Nothing. But some other, hidden part of me made me want to shout to the rooftops. I wouldn\'t be the last of my line after all.

Who better than Granger? Of course her unfortunate parentage was a demerit. But those other society beauties, so sweet, so charming...so obtuse. Honestly, I didn\'t think there was one whole brain among them. Still, Granger was smart, frighteningly so. She wasn\'t beautiful, not in the conventional sense but she was pretty, in a homespun sort of way. There was no doubt that she was very sexy indeed. That counted for a lot. Malfoys are rather like lobsters: once we settle on a mate, we\'re joined for life.

\"What are you thinking about?\" Her quiet voice cut through my reverie.

\"About you. About me. About us. This whole rotten situation.\"

\"I\'ve been avoiding thinking about it.\"

I was surprised. \"You? Avoid thought and carefully laid plans?\"

\"Once I\'d decided on a course of action, there was no more thought to be had.\"

\"Such a Gryffindor.\"

\"Isn\'t that the truth,\" she replied for the second time that day.

I sat and looked at her as she stared at the ceiling. I saw the faint hint of steel around that soft mouth. She was a pushy little thing. Maddeningly bossy, too. Her own impulsiveness was coming back to bite her. I was feeling the nip as well. If only hadn\'t let her goad me into...well, I can\'t dwell on that now. The deed was done and as myher her is so fond of saying, once is always enough.

I studied her small frame underneath the covers. Impossible to believe that tiny little body held another person. Another Malfoy. I refused to feel guilty for my prank. It was a bloody good prank and besides, I didn\'t know she was pregnant. Oh...hell. I do feel guilty. I heard a noise and I looked back at her face. She was asleep. There were violet shadows around her eyes. I could see the healing bite marks on her arms and hands and face. Granger always did have the best skin and I regretted marring it. I could only hope that Poppy had something to take the faint scars away.

I left the infirmary quietly. Who would I run into but my godfather? I\'m sure that he\'d want to give the tongue lashing I so thoroughly deserved. I resigned myself to my fate and followed him back to his offices.

\"Sit.\" He ordered without preamble. I sat. \"What in the world goes on in that twisted little brain of yours that you could come up with something like that? And to enlist Parkinson...do you ever stop to think? I swear, you\'re as heedless as a Gryffindor.\" Snape finished with disgust.

\"That was below the belt, Godfather.\"

\"Good.\" He went to his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle and a couple of glasses. Severus poured two shots and handed me one. \"Drink that, I think you\'ll need it.\"

I drank. The warmth poured down my throat and hit my stomach, where it promptly burst into flames. \"What are you going to do about this?\"

\"For the time being? Absolutely nothing.\"

\"You haven\'t got that much time left. By all reckoning, you\'ve got until May, which at least means you\'ll almost be finished with school.\" Severus drained his glass. \"But how do you think that Miss Granger is going to cope with NEWTs and end of year tests with a newborn?\"

\"You could always Decelerate her, \" I replied sullenly.

\"You know better than that.\" He poured himself another dram of whiskey. \"I suppose she\'ll have to drop out of school. I know Albus will be livid once he gets wind of this. Fucking shame.\"

\"What the hell is that supposed to mean?\"

\"I hate waste is all. This is a monumental waste of one of the few decent brains I\'ve happened to come across in my years of teaching.\" This time, Severus sipped his drink. He sat down across from me.

\"What do you propose I do? Marry her?\" I sneered in disgust.

\"Wouldn\'t be such a bad idea.\"

\"You *do* realise that I\'d be a laughing stock?\"

\"Why should any of that matter? Malfoys do not care what others think.\" He had me there. The bastard quotrom rom the \'Malfoy Code of Honour.\'

\"This is true, but Malfoys also do not bring shame unto their House.\" Take that, Severus-distaff-relation-Snape.

\"Yes, although I seem to recall that Malfoys take care of their own.\"

\"Bloody buggering hell.\" I slumped in my chair, knowing that I was trapped. \"Why are you pushing for this?\" I asked, suddenly curious.

Severus smiled viciously. \"The thought of Lucius spinning in his grave provides an amusement even I can\'t deny.\"

\"You\'re an evil bastard, d\'knowknow that?\"

\"So I\'ve been told. Drink your drink.\"
************

When I awoke the next day, I felt two-hundred per cent better. That is, until I remembered that my secret was out. Then my empty stomach turned painfully. I immediately went into worry mode. It was a state I was familiar with. I\'d discovered two grey hairs in the past week. At this rate, they\'d all be grey soon enough.

Well, lying in bed wouldn\'t accomplish anything. And besides, the parasite was demanding the toilet and breakfast all in the same instant. I flipped back the covers and got to my feet. At which point, I immediately sat down again in a wave of dizziness. I put my head between my legs and took some deep breaths. By the time I felt ready to try it again, Madam Pomfrey was there with a tray of a really delicious smelling food.

\"I thought I told you complete rest,\" she scolded.

\"Madam, I cannot be bedridden for the next two weeks. There\'s schoolwork to be done and wouldn\'t the other students think it odd that I was laid up in hospital for two weeks with no explanation?\" I got up and managed to make my way to the bathroom.

\"Minerva has come up with an excuse they\'ll all readily believe.\"

I flushed and washed my hands. \"And what, pray, is that?\"

\"She said you were suffering from exhaustion.\"

\"Exhaustion?! What sort of bloody nonsense is that?\" I came out of the room, wiping my still damp hands on my nightgown.

\"Everyone is under the impression that your constant studying has finally done you more ill than good. So you\'re taking a well-deserved rest after passing out on the stairs.\"

\"It\'s so flimsy, it just might work.\" I sat back on the bed and lifted the cover from the tray. It was filled with scrambled eggs and toast, a rasher of bacon and kippers, my very favourite. There was strawberry jam and butter on the side along with a tall glass of orange juice. \"Mm. This looks absolutely marvelous.\"

I tucked into my breakfast. Poppy settled herself on the end of the bed.I could sense one of those motherly talks coming on. Or at the very least, a bunch of nosy arsed questions. Neither of which I was prepared to handle at this particular moment. The medi-witch\'s throat cleared a couple of times but it seemed that she was at a loss for words. The door opened and who should walk in but Malfoy.

I hate to admit it, but God, he looked good.

He was dressed in his school uniform, black robes swirling about his ankles. He had an implacable look on his face. I put down the half-eaten toast point and waited for the latest Malfoy pronouncement.

\"Could you give us a moment, ma\'am?\" This was Draco at his most respectful. Something must be up. Poppy got off of the bed and went back into her office.

\"Well?\" I demanded. \"What could be so important that you\'ve decided to interrrupt my excellent breakfast?\" I was feeling snippy this morning, having had the marvelous Madam Pomfrey rid me of all those nasty bacteria floating about in my system.

\"We\'re going to get married. On Saturday. So you might as well accustom yourself to the idea.\"

\"Of all the brainless things to say. I\'m not marrying you. Now get out of here before my eggs get cold.\" I turned back to the tray.

Malfoy was stopped cold. I don\'t think he\'d ever been rejected before. \"What do you mean.\"

\"I don\'t think my answer was in any way ambiguous. I said what I meant. I\'m not marrying you.\"

\"What are you going to do about the baby?\"

\"As far as I\'m concerned I\'m going to have it taken care of as soon as possible.\"

\"Oh are you? Have you gone daft? No one who knows is going to let you out of their sight, let alone be able to sneak off and get rid of it!\" He was shouting. I\'d never seen that sort of emotion from Malfoy before. I was vaguely impressed.

\"I should think that they should want what is best for me. And what is best is not to be bloody pregnant my last year of school.\" I stuck a bit of kipper in my mouth and chewed.

\"What about what I want?\"

\"I don\'t think I give rat\'s arse about what you want.\"

\"That kid is half mine, you know.\"

\"A fact I\'m trying desperately to forget.\"

\"Do have any heart at all, woman?\"

\"Not when it comes to my education, I don\'t.\"

\"You\'re as bad as any Slytherin then. Worse. At least *we* take care of our own.\"

\"You take that back.\" Now I was incensed. How DARE he compare me to that nest of vipers he calls housemates.

\"I won\'t, for it\'s the truth. You\'re completely heartless.\"

\"Are you saying that you think that this extra bit of flesh, this *invader*, is fully formed? Are you trying to compare me to a murderess?\" I could feel my face getting hot.

\"I suppose that I am.\"

\"It takes one to know one, then.\" I picked up my wand and vanished the tray. He made me lose my appetite.

\"What the devil does that mean?\"

\"I mean, growing up with a known murderer, rapist, torturer and corruptor of innocents, you should be well-schooled in how a killer conducts oneself.\"

\"You little bitch. I\'m going to keep you from getting rid of it if only to ruin your life.\" I was a bit afraid of the smile that he gave me. \"It certainly won\'t increase your standing in the world to be an unwed mother. I can just imagine it. You won\'t be able to become an Auror, no respectable position within the Ministry. You can forget about studying to become a Potions Mistress. No sane Potions instructor would agree to teach you with a young child at home. Who knows what the little one could get into? It\'s a very dangerous situation. Oh yes. I\'m not going to let you out of my sight Granger.\"

\"And how are you going to manage that? We don\'t share quarters and as far as anyone knows, we don\'t even speak to one another.\"

\"I plan to rectify the situation as quickly as possible.\" With that he smiled that frightening smile again and left the room.