"Mr. Lupin," a voice said through the black fog. "You'll be taking care of her this next week. She'll have daily appointments now just to make sure the baby is well after the fall."

Hermione opened her eyes, and the room slowly came into view as if being processed through syrup. It took a moment for her to realize why she was in the Hospital Wing and why Professor McGonagall and Draco were standing at the foot of the bed.

A jolt shot through her as the memory of Ron pushing her came back, and she pushed herself to sit up. Her chest tightened with panic as she moved her hands to the bump of her stomach underneath the covers. Everything felt sore, and bandages wound around her arms and wrists and likely more continued beneath the covers.

McGonagall and Draco both turned to look at her, and the Deputy Headmistress called, "Poppy, she's awake."

Madame Pomfrey appeared around the curtain almost instantly, carrying a large red potion and a pitcher of water. "Oh, good. Drink up."

Hermione took the vial but didn't drink it. Everything seemed so muddled after the first rush from being pushed, though things were becoming more clear as time passed. Finally, her heart pounding in fear, she asked, "Is the baby ok?"

"Yes," Madame Pomfrey assured her. "But I want to ensure the healing I performed didn't affect the baby's growth, so I will need to see you more frequently to ensure things progress normally. Just a precaution. Now, drink. You need to boost your energy. The bandages are ready to be removed, but you'll be sore for several more days."

This time, Hermione drank her potion while her gaze swept the room. Draco looked like he hadn't slept at all, which was strange because though it was dark out, she couldn't imagine it had been more than a few hours since the match, and he had looked fine when she had left that morning. Once she had finished the potion and handed the empty vial back to the nurse, she frowned. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten," Draco answered. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, staring at her. "You've been out for over thirty-two hours."

Hermione simply blinked at him while a glass of water was pushed into her hand. "It's Sunday night? But I haven't finished my homework!"

"I told you she'd say that," Draco mumbled to McGonagall.

McGonagall just pursed her lips, though it looked like she was really about to cry from relief at Hermione being worried over something so trivial as homework at that moment. "I have informed the other professors of the...incident. They understand."

Hermione sipped her water. The way McGonagall had said 'incident' made her think the woman had really considered putting a few choice curse words behind it but had refrained. "Where's Ron?" It was only now returning to her that she remembered Ron being stunned before she had blacked out.

"Does it matter?" Draco snapped. "He's very far away from you and that baby, and that's what matters. I only regret that they sent him away before I could remove his intestines."

"Calm down, Mr. Lupin. Between you, Mr. Potter, and Miss Weasley, it was lucky we sent him away before the match ended."

"I quite agree," Madame Pomfrey said as she bent to untie the first of the bandages around Hermione's wrist. "I won't have werewolf tantrums bloodying up my Hospital Wing regardless of how much he deserved it. He's better off where he is."

"Wait," Hermione said. "Has Ron been expelled?"

It wasn't like his actions didn't warrant such punishment, but still. If Ron didn't finish his education, how could he ever escape his family's poverty?

"Unfortunately, no," Draco said.

McGonagall huffed, scowling at him before turning back to face Hermione. "No, he's been suspended through the New Year. He will return next term in January. For now, he will be studying at home and spending his days interning with some acquaintances of Poppy's at St. Mungo's in the maternity ward."

"I would have suggested the ward where they put people with painful contagious diseases," Draco said casually.

"Is it safe," Hermione said, her eyes drifting to watch Madame Pomfrey's fingers nimbly remove more bandages. "to trust Ron around babies?"

"He will be closely watched, acting as an orderly and shadowing the nurses. It is our hope that, while there, he may learn some manners and respect for women and infants," McGonagall said.

"Doubt it."

This time, McGonagall ignored Draco's remark. "I will tell Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley that you're awake, but for now, I recommend returning to your dormitory once Poppy has finished. You will be in Mr. Lupin's care until further notice."

"Didn't Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall tell you to rest?" Draco asked after opening the door to his room. He yawned as he leaned against the door frame.

"I just had to finish this essay for Professor Binns," Hermione said, not even looking up from where she was carefully scrawling a fresh line onto the parchment.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You got an extension on all your homework. You're supposed to be resting. Besides, it's late." It wasn't terribly late, really. After they had finished in the Hospital Wing, they had returned to their dormitory, and a house elf had been sent up with a plate of food for Hermione since dinner had ended before she awoke. Now, it was almost midnight, and while both Draco and Hermione usually stayed up this late working, Madame Pomfrey had made it clear Hermione should take it easy. Writing an essay with a freshly healed wrist fracture would not have fallen into the 'easy' category regardless of the time of day.

"It's not too late. You're up," Hermione said. She returned her quill to the ink pot and rubbed her wrist as she read over what she had just written. "How'd you know I was out here anyway? I was being quiet."

"My new enhanced hearing," he said as if this were obvious. He pushed off from the door frame and strode over to her. "And I'm allowed to be up late. I was finishing reading that chapter for the Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz tomorrow."

Hermione gasped and stared up at him, her eyes wide in alarm. "Oh my God, I forgot to read the chapter." She leaned over to reach for her bag where she had rested it up against the sofa, but Draco snatched it up first and slung it over his shoulder.

"No," he said and just shook his head at her narrowed eyes. "I'll give you my notes in the morning before you go to breakfast."

"But, I-"

"No," he said again. "And no finishing the essay either. Madame Pomfrey told you that you would be sore, and you might just hurt your wrist further if you keep writing. Lay off it just until the morning."

Hermione huffed and stood with some difficulty. She had been sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, presumably so she wouldn't have had to hunch forward to reach the low coffee table and put pressure on her stomach. "Fine," she said. She smoothed the front of her nightgown over her protruding belly. Having only seen her in her usual robes, Draco was startled to see just how much she was actually showing now. Her robes usually did a good job of disguising her steadily rounding silhouette.

He cleared his throat and looked away, realizing he had just spent a whole five seconds staring at Hermione's stomach. And while she was wearing a nightgown. Not that it revealed anything at all. It was just...strange to see her in her sleep things. "Right. Bedtime for both of us, I think."

Hermione gave a reluctant nod, glancing at the abandoned essay on the table as she passed him. "Goodnight then."

Hermione was awoken by a grunt, a petrified squeak, and a string of curse words early the next morning. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and looked toward her closed door.

"What the hell, Dobby?" came Draco's voice from just outside her door.

"S-sorry, sir," the elf replied, his voice a higher pitch than Hermione had ever heard it. "Dobby is just b-bringing Miss Granger tea and a healing draught, sir."

If there was another reply, Hermione didn't hear it as her door suddenly swung open to admit the tiny green-eyed elf. He tottered inside, carrying a silver tea tray with a small tea pot, a teacup and saucer, milk, and a small vial of the red potion she had taken yesterday. As he approached the edge of the bed, Hermione saw Draco's hand on the doorknob and him sitting on the floor in front of her door. The door shut with a soft click.

"Hello, Dobby," Hermione said, smiling as the elf slid the tea tray onto her bed. "Would you like to sit down?"

Dobby's gaze flitted from her face to the bed and back again. "Yes, thank you, miss." He slowly clambered onto the bed to sit across from her, the tea tray in between them. He poured her a cup of tea.

"Thank you," she said. She added a small splash of milk to the steaming cup. "What happened out there with Draco?"

Dobby's express turned scared again, and Hermione wondered if he would ever fully recover from his trauma of being enslaved to the Malfoys. "Mr...Mr..."

"Lupin?"

"Y-yes," he said, though his eyes seemed to grow even larger in the face of calling his former master by a new name. "Mr...Lupin. He was sleeping on the floor in front of miss's door, miss. Dobby must have startled him, and Mr. L-Lupin sat up and hit his head against the doorknob."

Hermione frowned in thought as she stirred her tea. Draco had slept out there all night? Had he been worried about her getting back up to do her homework? She shook her head and smiled at Dobby, who was adjusting the cuffs of his too-large sweater. "Did Madame Pomfrey send you?"

He nodded quickly, making his ears flap as he did so. "Yes, Madame Pomfrey says you is to have an appointment with her during your break period after lunch."

Hermione nodded and set her tea back on its saucer, choosing instead to drink the red potion while it cooled a bit.

"She is also saying," Dobby said, leaning toward her. "Dobby is overhearing her speaking to Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, miss. She is saying that Mr. Lupin is a...a werewolf."

Hermione nearly choked on the potion at his blunt approach of the topic. As she forced herself to swallow the last of it without spitting it out, she heard a door slam somewhere else in the dormitory, and Dobby flinched. Draco had heard.

She licked a drop of the potion from her lower lip and set the vial back on the tray before saying, "Do the other house elves know?"

"No, miss. Only Dobby knows. But, they will likely find out soon. House elves hear everything, miss."

Hermione sighed. The more people that knew, the more danger there was of Draco's secret getting out. And she wasn't sure what exactly would happen to him if the whole school...the whole wizarding world knew. Remus seemed like the example of how Draco's life would turn out if his secret were exposed. But, Draco would have to contend with Pureblood prejudices and people panicking about his uncontrollable state. If people found out before he reached a full year of transitions when he could start taking the Wolfsbane potion, it would mean chaos and pressure from the Ministry to have him removed from the castle. Hermione wasn't about to let that happen.

What? Two chapters in one week?! Ikr! Let me know in a review what you liked about this chapter and what you thought of Ron's punishment. Too harsh? Too easy? Think he'll return a changed man?