Unexpected

Dislaimer: Yadda yadda yadda. It’s not mine, for JKR thought of it first. Oh well. Thanks to my wonderful beta Jennifer.

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“It can’t be.”

Hermione checked again to make sure she read it right. Yeah, she did. At the realization, her heart began to beat double-time and her breathing became shallow. Relax, Hermione. This isn’t the end of the world.

She definitely didn’t expect for her last Christmas holiday as a Hogwarts student to be like this. When she returned home to spend the holiday with her parents, she felt more than just a little guilty about leaving Harry alone in Gryffindor Tower. She had tried to convince her parents to let her bring him along, but they were a little apprehensive about having a powerful wizard like Harry in their home, let alone a wizard that was dating their daughter.

Hermione understood their position, and after explaining to Harry, so did he. Therefore, it was no surprise to either of them when she ended up in his bed the night before she boarded the Hogwarts Express for the holiday. The evening had started out innocent enough, but had slowly escalated into unchartered territory for both of them. And now that she thought about it, their inexperience is exactly what landed them in their current position.

The ride back to Hogwarts at the end of holidays gave Hermione a chance to really think about the dramatic turn her life was taking. I’m going to have a baby, she thought. No, Harry and I are going to have a baby. The thought was initially terrifying, but Hermione found peace knowing that her and Harry loved each other, and that they would work this out together.

Hermione was still in deep thought upon returning to Gryffindor Tower and the Head Girl’s dormitory. She still wasn’t sure how Harry was going to take the news; the last thing she wanted to do was scare him. It wasn’t as if they had never discussed their future together before, but now it seemed that it was beginning sooner than they originally planned.

She was in her room unpacking her clothes when she heard a soft knock on the door. When she turned around, Harry’s head was peaking through the door.

“Can I come in?”

Hermione couldn’t help but smile when she looked at him. She smiled back and walked over to the door to meet him. “I missed you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss.

“I missed you, too. How was your holiday?”

“It would have been better if you were there, but I understand why Mum and Dad worry. If they knew half the trouble we get ourselves into here at school, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Well, you’ll be happy to know that I made the most of my time alone and finished all my assignments. That certainly wouldn’t have happened if I were with you.”

Hermione chanced a long glance into Harry’s eyes. She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to tell him about the baby. She silently grabbed his hand and took them over to the edge of the bed. “Harry, we have to talk.”

Out of all the things Harry was expecting, that was not one of them. Looking slightly concerned, he replied, “Okay. Is something bothering you?”

“I just need you to hear me out completely before you say anything. Can you do that?” Harry nodded. “First of all, I love you, and I always will. Second, the night we spent together before Christmas is the single greatest moment of my life. But…oh hell, how do I say this? Harry, we weren’t exactly careful that night, and I’m pregnant.”

Hermione looked for some kind of reaction from Harry. He stared at her for a moment, then stood up and ran his fingers through his hair as he paced around the room. “Are you sure?” he asked, in a ‘please God, tell me you’re joking’ tone.

“I’m sure, Harry. I took a Muggle pregnancy test at home, and then I did the Pregnancy Spell as soon as I got to my room. They both came out positive.” Hermione waited for a moment and then continued, “We’re going to have a baby.”

Harry’s face went white as he stared at Hermione. A look of terror came over his face, and he turned and ran out of the room without another word.

Hermione watched him leave, and immediately burst into tears. She had expected Harry to be shocked, but she had never expected him to run away like he did. Harry had never run away from anything since she’d known him, and the idea that she was the reason he was running now troubled her deeply. As she lay on her bed, she began to imagine raising this child alone, without Harry. It was a horrible thought, but from the way Harry acted, he didn’t want anything to do with her or their child.

**********

The first day of class after Christmas holiday was pure hell for Hermione. After crying herself to sleep, she woke up with a bad case of morning sickness and spent half of her lunch hour in the girls’ bathroom. She hadn’t spoken to Harry once, but when she looked at him, he looked as bad as she felt. In fact, he almost looked concerned.

That night, Hermione sat in the common room working on an Arithmancy assignment. It was almost midnight, and the rest of the house was already in bed. She was beginning to pack up her belongings and head for her room when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Looking up, she saw Harry.

“Hermione, what are you still doing up?”

“What do you care?” she replied, sounding bitter.

“I do care. You need your rest, especially after the kind of day you’ve had. Ginny told me that you spent half of lunch in the bathroom getting sick.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Harry sighed, walked over to the table Hermione was sitting at, and held out his hand. She looked back and took his hand, and he led them over to their favorite couch in front of the fire.

“I owe you an apology for the way I acted last night. My only explanation is that having a child frightens me to no ends. When I left your room last night, I went directly to the bathroom and threw up. Once I got that out of my system, I started to accept that I’m going to be a father and made some decisions.”

“Like what?”

“Most importantly, that I’m not going to let you do this alone. I love you and I wouldn’t want anyone else to be the mother of my children. I also went to Professor McGonagall and withdrew my application to the Auror Training Program.”

Hermione gasped. “No, Harry, you shouldn’t do that. You’ve wanted to be an Auror since third year. It would be unfair of me to ask you to give up your dream.”

“But you didn’t ask, I offered. I thought about this a lot, Hermione, and I want our children to have two parents. Being an Auror puts that in danger. You and this baby are the most important people in my life, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that you’re stuck with me for a good long while.”

Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and kissed him soundly. These were the words she was hoping to hear last night when she told him she was pregnant. Now that she thought about it, she could understand why being a father scared him so much. Vernon Dursley was hardly “Father of the Year,” despite the fact that Harry never even considered him a father.

After a few minutes of kissing and holding each other, Harry pulled away and looked at Hermione. “I almost forgot. Close your eyes for a moment.” Hermione gave him a questioning look and closed her eyes. Harry slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box and held it in his free hand as he slipped off the couch onto one knee.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she didn’t know what to think. Harry was on one knee holding a diamond ring, and her second-hand knowledge of this situation told her what he was about to say.

“Hermione, I love you will all my heart and want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life loving you. You bring out the best in me and make me feel loved. Will you marry me?”

Tears ran down Hermione’s face as she contemplated his question. “Are you asking because you want to or because you feel you should?”

Harry reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small piece of paper. “Funny you should ask. If you look at this receipt, it will tell you that I purchased this ring during the holiday. So to answer your question, I’m doing this because I want you to be my wife. The timing of the proposal doesn’t seem all that important to me.”

Hermione broke down into a full cry as she pulled Harry back up to the couch. “Yes.” Harry took the ring from the box and placed it on her left hand. He kissed her once and pulled her with him, as he lay down on the couch in a silent embrace. As she fell into a peaceful slumber, Hermione smiled. That night, on a couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, they spent their first night together as a family.