Hermione, 

I have so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start! 

First things first, we've received the confirmation paperwork from The Ministry. Our wands are officially registered, and we are no longer considered tourists! We're both now registered to be dual citizens, so we can travel between the UK and Romania without having to submit wand permits each time. The paperwork went through much quicker than I expected! 

You'll be happy to know that Charlie and I have settled into our flat. Admittedly, we didn't bring a lot with us, but we're making the most of what we've got. If I'm being honest, I'm glad for the fresh start. How often do you get to leave your old life behind, and begin again in a new country with the man you love? Merlin, Hermione. What has happened to me? Just tell me if i'm being unbearable, I'd hate to think that we've become one of those nauseating couples that nobody wants to hang out with. 

I met my new team yesterday! I was so worried that I would be the only non-Romanian speaker on the squad, but quite a few of the team are international players. They all seem really lovely off the pitch. I'm anxious that they might treat me differently because I'm new. We have our first training session tomorrow. One of the girls advised that I learn a few quidditch terms. Apparently our coach speaks only in Romanian, and makes no concession for the non-native players. 

Charlie and I are going to go through a few flashcards tonight.

Enough about me! How have you been? How is Severus? I do hope that he is treating you well, Hermione. I know you're more than capable of looking after yourself, but just say the word and I'll kick his ass for you if he ever treats you poorly. Severus may be a duelling champion, but I doubt he's met a more formidable opponent than me, when I'm pissed off. 

How are the others? How long until Ginny gives birth? Is Lavender pregnant yet? How are Molly and Arthur faring now that they've had time to come to terms with Charlie and I leaving? I need all of the gossip! 

All my love, 

Katie. 

____

Four months ago, Hermione Granger was unwillingly forced to marry a man whom she had never in her life imagined to be a suitable match for her. The Post War Population Planning Act was a piece of legislation published by The Minstry of Magic now almost five years prior, to ensure the boosting of the magical population after the War. While it was true, Lord Voldemort's tyranny had led to the most dramatic decrease in population that Wizarding society had seen in centuries, the Ministry's Marriage Law was a dramatic solution even by their standards. Hermione had spent years protesting against the barbaric practice before finally succumbing to the inevitable, in regards to the mandatory participation of the Ministry's Dating Service. 

A scheme to ensure a secured match for those unwilling or unsuccessful when using conventional dating methods, Hermione had been put through a series of blind dates and forced to choose one of the potential suitors to marry. The results had been rather surprising indeed. The man with whom she had been swapping life stories for weeks, behind a pane of obscurred glass had been her Ex-potions Professor, traitor-turned-hero, and now startling recluse, Severus Snape. 

Their wedding had been... magical. Romantic. Unforgettable. Surrounded by their closest friends and family, Hermione and Severus had declared their marriage bond in a stunningly beautiful ceremony held in the Hogwarts Library. Even if their whole marriage was to be a sham, forced upon them by The Ministry of Magic who swore to advocate and to protect its citizen's rights, Hermione would never forget or regret that day. Severus had played the part of the groom well, not once complaining about the tender situation, knowing full well that it wasn't exactly what Hermione would have chosen either.

Having been married for four months, Hermione and Severus had settled into a whole routine. They lived together in his house, a 3 bedroomed Victorian built structure in the north English countryside that had more than enough space for them both to settle down comfortably. Severus had continued to work his mail-order potions business from his magically enhanced garden shed. If the frequency of which she actually saw her husband was any indicator, Hermione could guess that Severus's business was actually quite successful. They certainly didn't seem stuck for Galleons. Hermione commuted to her job as Junior Unspeakable at the Ministry of Magic monday to friday. Her boss, Mr Sorren was still a mysogynistic prick who constantly used micro-aggressions to invalidate female staff. The only way in which Hermione could get out of his office would be to replace the man, which was seemingly impossible given that the senior staff at The Department of Mysteries seemed blind to Sorren's slobbering ways. 

Everything was going relatively smoothly for Hermione - Except for one tiny-miniscule detail that wasn't really worth sharing.

It was all part of her new routine. Hermione would wake up at 6am on weekdays, tearing herself from the warmth and comfort of her marital bed while Severus was still snoring softly. He wouldn't rise until at least 7:30, sometimes later if he had been up all night brewing. The days had been growing shorter now that they were well into October, the mornings were dark and chilly and entirely uninspiring.

Hermione stumbled downstairs by the soft light of her wand, not daring to turn on the electric lighting until she made it into the kitchen itself, for fear of waking her husband. Every morning she lit the stove and began the comforting routine of heating water to make a cup of tea. Whether or not Hermione made herself breakfast depended on her mood and the condition of her digestive system. Sometimes she was barely even able to finish her cup of tea before she was retching into the downstairs toilet. Other days, Hermione would be able to hold a piece of dry toast in until she reached work, at which point she would dash off to the bathroom and empty her stomach before her morning meeting. 

One regular feature of her morning routine was receiving the multitude of Owls that transported Order Forms from Severus's customers. There were usually 7 or 8 new requests each day, that Hermione sorted into a pile by the coffee maker for her husband to peruse when he woke up. It wasn't uncommon for Hermione to receive letters from her friends, either. She had been looking forward to Katie's owl since she and Charlie had moved to Romania. The long distance meant that the bird was exhausted, and required a few days of rest on one of the perches in their garden, before leaving with Hermione's reply. Neville Longbottom wrote often also, as did Luna Lovegood and Minerva McGonagall whose letters would always be addressed to both Hermione and Severus. 

A warm shower often helped ease her stomach cramps. Hermione spent this time practicing mindfulness, mentally compartmentalising and generally forcing her worries down into the pit of ignorance that she usually reserved for potential catastrophies. If she took a longer shower than usual, it meant that Hermione was having a harder time squashing all of her worries into the pit that was beginning to bulge from the strain. 

Once Hermione was emotionally stable, dressed in her work robes, and no longer at risk of vomiting over the breakfast table, she usually made her way back downstairs to the kitchen to greet her husband. The bitter smell of coffee, something Hermione used to quite enjoy, honestly smelt putrid to her. She had no idea whether Severus had begun drinking a different roast or blend, but she couldn't stand the scent that lingered in the kitchen in the mornings. Of course, Hermione could hardly tell Severus of her new aversion to his favorite morning beverage. She was barely able to give her husband a good-bye kiss without retching from the smell of coffee on his breath. 

Luckily Severus hadn't questioned why Hermione had started to use the floo to get to work, rather than apparating like she usually would. 

Her office routine was boring and mundane. On Monday morning's Hermione was subjected to The Big Meeting, a 2 hour long stage-show in which the prestidgous Department Seniors gave an exaggerated performance to encourage productivity, ensure that the staff felt like their concerns had been heard, and to 'praise' those who deserved it. The meeting was supposed to be an opportunity for everyone in the Department to discuss potential issues as equals, but none of the lower ranking staff ever spoke up. Hermione's boss gave a weekly report on his office's recent developments, that usually involved praising one of his seedy, greasy friends who hadn't made so much as a lick of progress since their career began 20 years ago. 

Hermione was currently leading the most successful project in their group, but had she received any praise? Of course not. 

Being a Junior unspeakable with a Mastery in Arithmancy, Hermione couldn't begin to divulge exactly what consumed her time at the office. She could confirm that she was not a field operative, instead she worked in the office trying to crack some of the issues that the field team had brought forward. 

She was the project-lead on a once small assignment that was rapidly snowballing into something much larger. Hermione and her 3 associates (all of whom were women) had far too much work on their hands at the moment and often stayed late to complete tasks. It wasn't that Hermione demanded praise from her boss, no. She didn't care whether Mr Sorren commended her work in front if the Department seniors. What Hermione wanted was to take credit that she and her colleagues had earned. She wanted to their names on the final report, and not Mr Sorren's. There was no chance she was going to let that dickhead claim her hard work as his own. Hermione knew her worth, and she was certain that this was going to be her ticket to a promotion. 

It was usually somewhere between 5 and 6 pm before Hermione returned home from work. Sometimes, Severus was waiting for her with a hot meal and a small, tired smile on his face. Other days, he would remain working in his shed until long after Hermione had gone to bed. The sporadicness of his schedule was often due to demand, or specific requirements of whatever Potion he was preparing. He usually told Hermione if he had specific plans to work late one day, or if he was leaving the house for an extended period to collect ingredients. 

As it happened, on that particular night, Severus was tending to whatever was bubbling on the stove when Hermione materialised in the living room fireplace. She shook off her outer robes, toeing off her work shoes, and dumped her heaving handbag on the sofa to deal with later, before following the scent of Severus's cooking. The kitchen was warm and bright, and comforting after a long day sat in a depressing underground office. 

"Well, hello there." Hermione sat, near-collapsing into one of the dining chairs that were attached to their large oak table. "I wasn't sure you'd be joining me for dinner."

"I was able to finish a little earlier." Severus said, stirring a pan of gravy on the stove. "Two of the potions I'm working on require a maturation period before I can complete the brew. Luckily, I have an advanced supply for some of my more regular orders, so I was able to get them shipped today. It's been quite a productive day." Severus explained. 

"Sounds like a good day." Hermione said, pulling her hair free from the tight up do that was beginning to give her a headache. "I could have made dinner, you know? It's not fair for you to be trapped, standing over a cauldron all day, only to finish work and end up slaving over the stove." 

Severus pulled out his wand, removing various steaming trays from the oven, sending multiple plates, cutlery and glassware in the direction of the dining table, and summoning a jug of pumpkin juice from the cooler without uttering a word. He turned to Hermione, and raised an eyebrow. "I think I have it all under control." 

"Stubborn man." Hermione teased him. 

"Indeed." 

Hermione massaged her temples as Severus served dinner, placing an enticing-looking plate of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables in front of her. Hermione stared at her plate and swallowed, willing her stomach to allow her to enjoy the meal that her husband had so lovingly prepared for her. She drowned her plate in gravy as Severus took his seat opposite her, pouring her a glass of chilled pumpkin juice before picking up his own cutlery. Perhaps noticing her less-than-enthusiastic expression, Severus eyed Hermione with an expression of concern. 

"Is something the matter?" Severus asked. "Did you want something different for dinner?" 

Hermione gave her husband a false smile. She had been perfecting her mask for weeks, taking tips from perhaps the most guarded man she knew. "No, it's fine. Thank you for making dinner. I'm just tired and I have a headache." 

"Long day?" Severus asked between mouthfuls.

"You know that I can't say too much." Hermione said with a sigh. "Typical Monday. Crappy meeting. Filthy boss. Overwhelming and under-funded project."

He gave her an expression that should have been sympathetic, but due to Severus's lack of practice with human emotion, it looked more like an odd frown-smile hybrid. "I thought you had requested more funds?"

"I did. My request got denied." Hermione said, slowly chewing her chicken as though it would help it to remain in her stomach. 

"Is there anything you can do?" 

"Not particularly. I'm really proud of my team, they're doing some fantastic work. But the fact that there are only 4 of us means that we are being slowed down quite dramatically. Unless more funding gets dedicated to my project, I can't request another staff member." Hermione shrugged, taking a delicate sip of her pumpkin juice. 

"Don't let your idiot-boss control your self-worth, My Dear." Severus advised. "Dumb men find intellectual women threatening."

Hermione laughed. "Is that true?"

"It is indeed. I was once told that the cleverest of men are the ones that fear all women, regardless of their intelligence." Severus smirked. 

"Sage advice."

More than half the contents of Hermione's plate had disappeared before she had even noticed. Severus usually questioned her if she didn't eat much, and Hermione always lied. She would spout some bullshit about having had a large lunch, promising to take her leftovers to work the next day so that they wouldn't go to waste. Sometimes, it was much easier when Severus wasn't around to eat with her, so she didn't have to conceal how poor her oral intake actually was. That was why she had started to rise a whole hour earlier than normal on weekdays, so she could hide her nausea which was usually worse in the morning. 

Severus was incredibly astute and observant, but Hermione suspected that his pride stopped him from asking any further questions. 

Why had they stopped having sex? 

It was typical for newly-weds to be unable to keep their hands off each other, especially for those who had agreed to wait until their wedding night to partake in such activities, as Hermione and Severus had. Don't get her wrong. Hermione and Severus had participated in their marital exploits with enthusiasm for a while. Severus was a thoughtful and attentive lover, and it hadn't taken him long to discover where exactly Hermione enjoyed being touched the most. Giving up sex hadn't been easy, not when he walked into their room half-naked and dripping wet from the shower each night before bed. Or when Hermione awoke to find Severus's warm body pressed against her back, his morning erection squashed between their bodies. How could she possibly deny him? 

It hadn't been Hermione's plan to shut Severus out, but it was necessary. 

"What are your plans for tonight?" Her husband interrupted Hermione's thoughts.

"Katie wrote me this morning. I'm going to write a reply and go to bed early." Hermione said, rubbing her forehead. At least she wasn't lying about her headache - her head was actually pounding. 

Severus sent their plates in the direction of the sink with a flick of his wand. The tap started and began to fill the washing-up bowl with soapy water. "I can get you a pain relief potion." 

"It's okay." Hermione said. "I'm really tired, I'll just sleep it off." 

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can get you? You look unwell, Hermione." Severus said, reaching across the table to take her hand into his own."

"I'm sure." Hermione said, giving him one of her well-practiced fake smiles. "You're taking this 'in sickness and in health' thing too seriously. It's just a headache."

It wasn't just a headache.

____

Dressed in her pyjamas, with a mug of mint tea beside her and a hot water bottle resting on her stomach, Hermione sat down at their writing desk to reply to her friend's letter. The study was a small room on the ground floor of the house, in which Severus usually completed his administration tasks. His financial records, customer addresses, lists of suppliers ect. were all filed away in neat and organised folders. There was a small fireplace in the room, alongside a couple of arms chairs and a coffee table. A framed photo of Hermione and Severus on their wedding day was displayed on the mantel. 

The enormity of what she was about to do dawned on Hermione. She stared at the blank piece of parchment, feeling panic rise in her chest. In sharing her secret, not only was Hermione involving someone else in this whole conspiracy, she was also admitting to herself that what was happening was actually real. She couldn't deny it any longer. The signs and symptoms were all there. 

She knew that she should have been sharing this information with Severus, not Katie. Hermione knew that she was being selfish withholding such important news from her husband, but she was feeling equally shocked at her discovery. Her mental health was fragile. She knew that Severus would be less than pleased to learn of what she had been hiding from him, and Hermione simply couldn't deal with his crumbling psyche as well as her own. 

____

Katie, 

I'm so glad to hear that you and Charlie have settled in. Your anxieties about joining a new team are completely normal, anyone would be nervous starting a new job and meeting new people. You're a lovely human being, an incredible friend and a wonderful Quidditch player - how could they not like you? Has Charlie started his new job yet? Theres nothing wrong with being infatuated with your husband! You're married to a big, beefy, leather-wearing dragon-tamer who fights for animal rights for a living - he's straight out of a romance novel. 

Severus is treating me well. Although, I will admit that I have been concealing things from him. There's a burden that I've been dying to share, that I can't possibly tell him or I fear that he will become as overwhelmed as I feel. Believe me, Katie. You are one of my best friends, but the only reason I am telling you this information is because you are too far away to risk accidentally giving away my secret. I can't possibly tell Ginny, Harry, or Ron, and I know they would be equally as offended as Severus will be, to hear that i've concealed this knowledge from them also. 

Please, I beg you, don't tell anyone. 

I think I might be pregnant.