As time went on, my stomach started to grow.

"Will the baby have my bed?" Scorp asked, frowning as he watched me stroking my rounded belly from where I lay exhausted on the sofa.

"Of course not, Scorp," Draco answered, placing a mug of herbal tea by my side before planting his lips against my sweaty brow. "That's why we're doing the other room up - a nursery for your little brother or sister."

"Can we have a girl baby?" Scorp asked eagerly. "Can we call her Rosie?"

Draco and I simultaneously froze as our eyes met.

A month had passed since the incident with Rose. And even though I stayed in touch with Hermione, I kept finding excuses as to why Scorp couldn't play with Rose. However, Scorp kept asking when he was going to see his friend again and it broke my heart.

But Draco was adamant that Scorp stay away from her; fearful of seeing his son terrified of him again. We both spent a lot of time reassuring and convincing Scorp that his daddy wasn't a bad man and would never hurt his mummy on purpose.

"He let me read him a story again tonight," Draco beamed happily one night as he crawled into bed beside me and pulled me into his embrace.

He then instantly jumped back, looking down at me in concern. "Merlin, Ronnie; you're burning up! Are you feeling alright?"

"It's just a little temperature," I shrugged. "I probably just picked something up, that's all."

But Draco shook his head, alarm flickering in his grey eyes. "You've not been well for a long time. Tomorrow, we're going to see a Healer. And no arguments; we're not taking any chances."

The Healer was adamant it was just a 'touch' of morning sickness.

"Plenty of rest and lots of fluids." He prescribed. "And stress needs to be avoided at all costs. It's time to start putting mother and baby first."

Draco refused to let me lift a finger after that; insisting I lay on the sofa whilst he looked after me.

"I'm not a fucking invalid," I growled when he stopped me from getting up to go and make a cup of tea.

I was angry, I was frustrated, and above all; I was scared. I had never felt this drained when I was pregnant with Scorp. The dizziness was frightening me. Some days it felt like the life was slowly being sucked out of me. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep.

And I could see the same fear reflected in Draco's eyes. I would sometimes just catch him looking at me; his expression sad and drawn.

I even woke up one morning to the sight of the blond haired Slytherin looking down at me, his grey eyes rife with sadness, as if he'd been crying.

"Draco, what's wrong?" I breathed, my heart constricting in my chest.

"I hate myself for all the years that I hurt you," he said, his voice cracking.

"Draco, stop." I said, sitting up to face him. "You need to quit punishing yourself. We got through it and now we're here, we have our little family, and I couldn't be happier."

"We could have had longer together. I- I regret that. I regret that I wasn't there for you after the war. I regret ever thinking I was better off married to another woman. I regret that you felt you couldn't tell me when you fell pregnant with Scorp."

"Draco, what is this?" I asked, my pulse quickening dangerously. "You're scaring me."

He quickly pulled me to him, his arms wrapping tightly around me as he peppered kisses over my face. "I love you so much, Ronnie. I should have always put you first. And I'm never going to make that mistake again. From now on, you come first with me every time."

Little did I know though, that it was this exact reason why a huge wedge would later be driven between us.

*****

"Gosh, Ronnie!" Luna exclaimed when I had taken Scorp round to her and George's house one morning. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

I had just taken off my coat when a sudden wave of dizziness overtook me.

"Yeah, fucking great," I said, holding a palm to my sudden sweating brow despite how cool the place felt.

Four months into my pregnancy and the 'morning sickness' was getting worse - not better.

Draco tried to persuade me to stay at home upon seeing how pale I looked when I woke up that morning, but I was keen to get out of the house; it distracted me from the constant state of illness I found myself in these days.

"Have you considered my previous suggestion of riding a hippogriff naked over the Niagra Falls?" Luna suggested unhelpfully. "Honestly, nobody believes me, but it worked for Mummy when she had me, and it worked for me when I had Fred. Just ask George; he would often join me."

I was about to curse her for making me picture this fucking disturbing scene, but instead, right there in her hallway, I fainted.

*****

The first thing I saw when I came to was Draco's fearful face.

"Ronnie! Oh, Ronnie," he murmured in a relieved, yet strangled voice, his hand clasping mine tightly.

I slowly looked around, wincing in pain as I did so, realising I was hooked up to loads of machines in hospital.

"D-Draco," I rasped, my voice ever so hoarse as if I hadn't used it in a long time. My heart started thudding instantly in panic. "What's happened? Why am I here?"

"You collapsed the second you arrived at Loony's," Draco murmured. "I knew I should have tried harder to stop you from going. You're not well, damn it!"

"The baby, Draco," I whispered feeling a cold fear trickle through me. "Is the baby-"

"You're still pregnant, Ronnie," he said in an oddly flat voice, and I didn't miss the apprehensive flicker in his eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, my anxiety only intensifying.

"Ronnie," Draco said in a strangled whisper, and I now noticed that his eyes were red, as if he'd been crying. "Ronnie, you're ill."

"No fucking kidding," I muttered dryly. "And I kind of guessed I wasn't hooked up to all this crap for the fucking fun of it."

"Don't, Ronnie, don't do that." Draco said, not looking in the least bit amused at my attempt of dark humour. "You need to listen me."

I felt the panic start to overtake my senses; blood roaring in my ears and lights flashing before my eyes. I didn't want him to continue, I didn't want to hear Draco tell me what it was that was causing him to look like he had just discovered the world was about to end.

"You are sick, Ronnie," he went on, his voice strangled as he clasped my hand tighter, "and the healers have told me that if you continue with this pregnancy then... then there is a high risk that you might not get better."

"So I stay sick, that doesn't matter. This baby is worth it, Draco. Our baby that we've tried so hard for. What's a little illness?"

"For fuck's sake Ronnie, you don't get it - this isn't a little illness; you could DIE!" His voice broke as a huge shuddering sob escaped him before he proceeded to break down violently in tears.

Tears spilled from my own eyes. "What are you saying, Draco? Are you saying I should kill my baby to save myself? Because I won't do it. I won't do it, Draco."

"What about Scorp? He needs his mummy." Draco sobbed. "And what about me? I can't live without you, Ronnie. We've been through too much. Please don't give up on us."

"I can't give up on our baby, please don't ask me to." I said desperately. "If there's a chance; even a slim one, then I've got to take it."

The door opened and a man in a white coat entered. "Ah, Miss Weasley, you're awake. I take it by the look of your grim expression that Mr Malfoy has updated you on events?"

"Tell me," I said, sitting up and determinedly drying my eyes, "what exactly is wrong with me?"

"I'm afraid we don't know." The Healer sighed regretfully. "All I can tell you is that we have identified an unknown virus which is attacking your immune system. It seems to have been in you for a number of years, working slowly, which would explain the exhaustion I understand you have been experiencing of late. Unfortunately, the pregnancy has sped up the effects of the virus and we are afraid that as long as the pregnancy continues, then the consequences could be extremely dire for both you and the baby."

"Virus?" I asked confused. "But I thought it was morning sickness? Where did I get this virus from exactly?"

"At this moment in time, we have no idea." The Healer spoke gravely. "However, I can ensure you we have specialists looking into it in the hope that we can find a cure."

"There's no cure?" I felt like I was in a dream; a very bad fucking dream.

"Not yet, I'm afraid, Miss Weasley; and because of this, I urge you that we need to act fast to slow down the virus to enable us more time."

"You mean I need to give permission for you to terminate my pregnancy?" My hand instinctively flew to my stomach.

"If we don't, then I fear that you may not have much longer to live. We could be talking days."

"But you can't be sure?" I said, desperately trying to reach out for some hope. I couldn't give up on my baby, I already loved it like I loved Draco and Scorp; and I'd never give up on them. "You can't say you're one hundred percent certain that I, and the baby, won't survive the duration of the pregnancy?"

"Ronnie... no... please," Draco sobbed.

The Healer took a deep breath, looking from Draco, back to me.

"No," he said slowly, and almost reluctantly. "We can't be one hundred percent certain. But I strongly advise-"

"Then I'm not doing it." I said stubbornly. "I'm not killing my baby."

A strange noise emitted from Draco as he stood shakily to his feet, tears were rolling furiously down his cheeks.

"Draco-" I pleaded, reaching my hand out for him. But he took a step away from me.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this, Ronnie," he wept, shaking his head in sorrow, "I just can't watch you kill yourself."

And to my utter devastation, he turned away from me and stumbled out of the room.

"But I need you," I sobbed, feeling suddenly horrendously frightened.

However, he had already gone.

*****