The Seaside Retreat

Chapter 23... Are We Done Yet?

Hermione spent somewhere around 18 hours a day studying for her NEWTs while Severus spent around the same amount of time perfecting the Lycanthropy cure for testing on Remus. The couple had seen very little of each other since the crazy night in the lab, and it was reeking havoc on Hermione’s already stressed nerves. Her hormones were changing quickly as well, and she used it as an excuse to boss her friends into working harder at their studying. They were quick to listen to her, not wanting to get on the wrong side of her, now that they knew she was pregnant.

Hermione had sat all of her friends down the evening after she found out she was pregnant and let them all in on the news. They surprised her with the wide array of reactions to the big news, but after a few moments they were all testing out their new roles in her life by adding Aunt or Uncle in front of their names. They had all agreed to keep the information secret until after graduation, but were disappointed to hear that they couldn’t follow her around with their hands on her belly. They perked up a bit though when she reminded them that it would be a couple of months before they would feel anything anyway.

For once however, Hermione’s news was not the most surprising news the group was treated to. After considerable thought on his part, Draco had come to a decision. He said he just could not hold it in any longer, and with assurances from the group that nothing could make them hate him again he confessed his undying love for Neville. Of course the group laughed and was ready to take the mickey out of him for the bad joke when they realized he wasn’t kidding. From that moment on Neville was officially adopted into the group of friends, and managed to only turn slightly red at being asked if Hermione’s children could refer to them as Uncle Neville and Aunt Draco.

With the good natured teasing out of the way, the friends got on with their studying, with the exception of Ginny who was still blissfully unconcerned, having another year to worry about NEWTs. The days passed in a blur and it wasn’t long before a forlorn looking group of seventh years trudged down to breakfast and spent an hour shifting food around their plates while going over last minute notes. For Hermione, this was one year where she was not a complete wreck. She had finally figured out that their was a lot more to her life then test scores, and knew she would be alright no matter what. That realization of course did not stop her from taking every opportunity to study though.

History of Magic passed in an uncomprehendingly dull blur, Ancient Runes wasn’t much better, though Hermione was quite fond of the subject. Arithmancy, as always was interesting, but the examiner had horrible breath and Hermione found it quite difficult to concentrate until she could secretly cast a freshening charm on him. Transfigurations had always been one of her better subjects, so she wasn’t overly surprised at her ease in completing that NEWT, and in Charms and Defense against the Dark Arts she became a bit flustered by the attention she received at being THE Hermione Granger.

Finally Friday rolled around, and she was left only with her potions NEWT. Severus and her had given Remus the potion that morning, and were very optimistic about its success. Remus had already reported decreased feelings of aggression and his senses were what they normally were during the regular moon phases. This of course meant that they were still heightened, but nowhere near as sensitive as what they normally were. The big test would be when they locked him in the rooms that evening and waited to see if he would transform.

Hermione was nervous all day, and when she went to sit for her potions practical, the examiner took one look at her bouncing legs and agitated air and was quick to reassure her that potions wasn’t as difficult as it seemed, as long as she concentrated. That was until he looked down to the roster and saw who he was testing. After that he was quick to join her in her bouncing, and spent a good half hour before the exam asking her questions about the potion that would be tested that evening. Though for the most part the testing on Remus was supposed to be kept very quiet, they still had to register for a permit to test on a human subject with the ministry; therefore the man testing her knew what was going on. He was very keen on hearing the results, and awarded Hermione extra points at the end of the exam for working on what he deemed such a noble cause.

Finally with all her testing out of the way, Hermione raced through the halls of Hogwarts, and into the dungeons. Severus of course was dutifully waiting for her with the largest bunch of calla lilies she had ever seen before. She had asked him sometime before about his tendency to give her muggle flowers instead of magical ones, and he had simply responded that having been around magical plants for so long, he found the muggle varieties to be infinitely more exotic.

Since finding out she was pregnant, Severus had become very protective over her and her health, and though it was sweet and fun now, Hermione could see it becoming very tiresome quickly. After giving her the flowers, he immediately took them back to put them in water insisting she relax, and conjured a squashy arm chair and ottoman for her to relax in while they waited for Remus to arrive. She gratefully sank into it and scooted over so Severus could squish in next to her. They chatted for awhile about her exams, then the wedding and were quite cozy when Remus finally arrived.

He was quick to wrap Hermione in his arms and peck kisses all over her face in gratitude. Though he managed to keep himself from attacking Remus, Severus was certain he did not like another man touching his Hermione like that. Though he couldn’t verbalize his true intentions towards her just yet, Severus was quick to distract the werewolf from his fiancée.

“Remus if you are done manhandling my apprentice, I would appreciate it if I could check your vital signs and get on with this test. We will have dinner brought up here so I can monitor exactly how much and what you eat, then we will lock you in that room” he gestured to a door on the other side of the lab “and place a window spell on the door so we can monitor your behavior.”

Remus nodded his head in understanding, and stepped forward to have all his stats checked.

“Remus, is it alright that I stay and monitor you as well? I had intended to all along, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable” Hermione asked, though she fully intended to whine until he said yes if he wasn’t intending on letting her stay.

“I must admit, I am a bit nervous about you being here, but only because of what I am like when I transform. If the cure isn’t effective then you will see a side of me that I had hoped no one ever would have to witness. However, you have more then earned my trust, so of course you are welcome to stay.” He answered shyly.

With the preliminaries out of the way, they group settled in and had a light dinner. Not wanting Remus to eat too much, because they were unsure how he would react with too full a stomach. When the time came to lock him in the room, it was with a mix of excitement and apprehension that they smiled at each other and locked him in for the night. Severus cast the charm to be able to see through the door, which now worked like a two way mirror, and they settled in for a long night.

It was several hours before anything interesting happened, and even at that it was just Remus yawning widely and stretching. It was the most boring, exciting night of their lives. The potion was a success! He not only didn’t transform, but their seemed to be no adverse effects. All of his vital signs had stayed normal the entire night and when he was released the next morning, Remus reported feeling fine the entire night, except some mild insomnia, which they all chalked up to be nerves.

After confirming the results, the three immediately flooed Minerva, who was ecstatic at the news and immediately set out to prepare a feast of celebration in the Great Hall. It wasn’t long before the entire wizarding world had heard of the breakthrough, and people were offering Hermione apprenticeships left and right, which she flatly refused to even consider, for as she said “I am already studying under the foremost expert in potions alive today, and without his genius the Remus Potion (which they had decided to name it) would not have been possible”. When Severus heard this, his chest puffed out in pride, and for once in his life he began to think that just maybe the world would accept him.

Their collaborative efforts on the cure had helped secure Hermione’s place as an adult in the eyes of the world. Because of this elevation in her status, Hermione and Severus believed that once they announced their impending marriage in public, they would have a few more people on their side. So, it was with extremely happy hearts that they attended every feast and ball that was given in their honor and RSVP’d to speak at several potions conferences during the summer.

With that very happy discovery behind them, the couple was free to fully concentrate on the final touches of their wedding, to which Hermione sill hadn’t bought her dress for, and the appointment the following week with the prenatal wizard. They parents to be were excited and nervous as they discussed their plans for their children, but they were both pleased to see how alike their values for raising their children were.

The day of the appointment finally rolled around, and the couple flooed to St. Mungo’s to see the Mediwizard assigned to them. All in all, the appointment went very well, though Hermione had to stop Severus from hitting the healer when he asker her to undress. She quickly handed Severus some brochures to leaf through that explained the processes during the exams, and gently chastised the healer for not warning a first time father that he was going to ask his intended to strip.

A few fancy wand movements later, the Mediwizard confirmed Madame Pomfrey’s suspicions and announced that in eight months they would be the proud parents of two baby girls. Hermione and Severus were besides themselves with joy and the only way Hermione could convince her fiancée not to go directly to the little wizards and witches shop from St. Mungo’s was to remind him of her plans to go dress shopping with Ginny after their appointment. He reluctantly agreed to wait for her, though he was disappointed in her insistence that he not go baby shopping without her.

After they had flooed back to the castle, they gave each other a few lingering kisses goodbye. Severus was on a mission to alert everyone who could be trusted about the sex of his babies, and Hermione was on her way to meet Ginny and head out to find her dream wedding dress. She was very excited to shop for her gown, but after the long morning she had with Severus, the first words out of her mouth upon seeing Ginny were “Are we done yet?”

A/N: I am such a terrible slacker. That took me forever to get out. Thanks for sticking by me though, I love you all!

MarSnape- sorry it took me so long to answer you, but Crass, or at least the way I used it, means like rough around the edges. Someone who farts and recited dirty jokes could be considered crass for instance.

EruthiadwenGreenleaf- awww twin cousins? How cute. I can’t wait until I can sneak fertility drugs into my morning coffee and pop out several kids at once. Lol. Don’t tell my boyfriend, he still thinks he can get away with buying me a pony.

amd2175- good luck getting your wisdom teeth out! I hope all goes well with it. All things considered mine weren’t too bad, it just seems like every time I go he decides to only take one out at a time. I swear he is doing it do I have to pay the co pay four times instead of just twice, lol. I was cracking up when I read about you and your bro singing the Tiny Toon Adventures song. Way to go!

Rose Evans- Than k you so much for the tip! It tried it and it was very soothing! Thank yo so much for reading and reviewing!

Heidi191976- Thank you so much!

NutsAboutHarry- Thank you so much, you are such an ego booster, lol. I never actually though I was much of a writer, but I had ideas that I wanted to get out of my head and onto paper, so I risked it.

Thank you so much to everyone for reading and reviewing, I love reading your comments they never cease to make me smile! I think I will wrap this story up in a few more chapters, then take some time to read the works by all the wonderful authors on this site that have given me support and new ideas.