The next morning Karina woke with a chill. She jogged her memory and remembered the night before. She groaned and found her clothes. Putting them on, she looked over at her sleeping lover. She sat back down on the bed and placed her head on his chest, listening to his evening breathing. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized that it was 7:30 and had better wake him up.
�It�s 7:30. Time to get up,� she whispered in his ear in a singsong voice.
�Humph,� he mumbled and turned over.
�Oh come on. Get up you lazy ass,� she said with a smirk.
He was silent. Rolling her eyes, she took hold of the covers and in one motion pulled them off, exposing his naked body to the cold and dampness of the room. At first he seemed unfazed.
�It�s cold!� he grumbled, sitting up with a start.
�Put some clothes and it won�t be,� Karina said handing him his boxers.
�Do I really have to get up?� he asked, giving her puppy dog eyes.
�Yes,� she responded curtly.
�Fine,� he muttered and got dressed.
The two walked up the stairs and quickly kissed, parting ways at the top. Karina headed for the Great Hall and Severus to the staff room. On her way, Karina walked into Draco.
�Watch it grease ball,� Karina spat.
�You know, you act more like a Slytherin than a Gryffindor,� Draco said, pleased with his analysis.
Karina feigned a gasp and covered her mouth with her hands.
�And I thought I was the only one who noticed,� Karina replied, stifling a snicker.
Karina walked around Draco and entered the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. She drummed her fingers on the table in boredom. As usual, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat near her. Feeling like she needed a good round of insulting she turned towards the trio.
�If it isn�t the amazing Potter. Tell me, how�d you manage to blow that potion up?� Karina asked acting interested.
�I didn�t blow it up!� Harry protested.
�Right, of course you didn�t. Let me guess, it blew up on its own then,� Karina sneered.
Suddenly, Karina noticed the corned beef sitting in front of her and felt as if she were about to faint. She began taking deep breaths but the feeling persisted. She got up and dashed out of room. Snape noticed and desperately wanted to follow her but knew he was under the watchful eye of McGonagall.
�And where is she going?� Minerva questioned.
�How the bloody hell should I know,� he responded angrily.
McGonagall was about to say something when Hagrid walked in and hurried to the head table.
�Err Dumbledore sir, a student just fainted in the hall,� he whispered.
Snape wasted no time. He rose and quickly exited the room, followed by McGonagall and Dumbledore. Snape got to Karina first.
�What happened?� he asked.
�Corned beef,� she mumbled almost incoherently
�What?� he asked, very confused.
Without bothering to wait for an explanation, he scooped her up and whisked her away to the hospital wing. When they arrived, he laid her down on one of the beds and frantically searched for Madame Pomfrey.
�Is something the matter Professor?� Poppy inquired, emerging from her office.
�Err, yes. A student fainted,� he responded pointing to Karina.
Poppy walked over to the girl and surveyed her. Quickly, she closed the curtains around the bed and began talking to Karina. All Snape could see were the shadows of the two women behind the barrier. After about ten minutes, the nurse reappeared and scurried into her office and fetched a bottle and spoon. Before he could ask her what was going on, she disappeared behind the curtain again. He could hear Karina protesting about having to swallow whatever the potion was but lost to the elderly nurse. Several minutes later, a shocked Madame Pomfrey appeared.
�Is she alright?� he asked.
�Um, well that depends on your definition of �alright�,� she answered him.
He walked over to Karina�s bed and sat down.
�Well?� he said, looking at her expectantly.
�I�m pregnant,� she whispered.
�You�re what?� he gasped.
�Pregnant. You know, as in I�m going to have a baby,� she said, a hint of a smile on her lips.
�How long?� he questioned nervously.
�About a month,� Karina told him.
He was speechless. Snape simple gawked at Karina for several minutes, his normally translucent skin had turned four shades paler.
�Aren�t you excited?� she asked, snapping him out of his stupor.
�Yes but this is serious,� he said, taking several deep breaths.
He stood and walked into the nurse�s office and closed the door.
�You are to tell no one about this Poppy,� Snape stated sternly.
�I beg your pardon Severus but things like this must be reported to Dumbledore,� she said, not noticing the glint in his eyes.
�You say a word, and I�ll have you out of a job before you can say �lumos�,� he threatened.
�Alright,� she said shakily. She wasn�t used to seeing the Potions master so defensive over a student, especially one from a different house.
He reemerged and took Karina�s hand in his. He began massaging it gently and staring into her eyes, pools of fluid silver.
�Come, we mustn�t be late for class,� he said pulling her up gently.
�Of course,� Karina said with a smile.
They left the hospital wing and headed for the transfiguration room. Once they reached the door, Snape took her in his arms and planted a kiss on the top of her head.
�Are you sure you�re ok,� he said relishing the heat of her body.
�Yes, I�m fine,� she responded letting a hand drift unconsciously down to her abdomen.
They broke apart and she turned to face the door. With one last look at Snape, she entered the classroom.