Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews! Sorry it has taken so long to update, but we're doing a lot of quizzing and studying to prepare for the national test(TAKS.) I wrote Chapter4 right after 3, but didn't get around to sending to my beta-reader. Again special thanks to special individuals: KypDurron, shawnpickett, and as always my fantastic beta-reader (who takes time out of his day to edit my story) HarryP5874!!!!! I hope this is to your enjoyment and delight! There will be a coule of more chapters until I actually explain everything (Luna's behavior) but I hope you enjoy Chapter 4 and five and the little surprises I've added! Enjoy!
Chapter 4
Luna, the Baby and Me makes three.
Ginny looked at her watch, it said 8:15 a.m. It was a Thursday morning, she could be eating breakfast, but instead she was sitting on the couch in the Head Boy/Girl Common Room. To her left were Harry and Hermione who kept smirking at each other as if they were hiding the greatest secret in the world and to her right was Lavender who was disgruntled about missing breakfast. Ron was standing in front of them about to speak. He'd summoned them all here first thing this morning. Ginny was hoping and praying that her brother had good news because she was becoming quite sick with all the bad news over the past week. First, her and Draco being caught by Firenze, then Draco's mother gone missing, then Draco getting knocked off his broom, and then finally hearing about Percy being arrested. She thought she was going to crack. She'd stopped eating, literally. When, she did eat she'd throw it all back up, she was taking all the things going on really badly.
"I know you're all wondering why I asked you here this morning," began a pale-faced Ron. Ginny knew just by the tone of his voice and by the way he looked that this meeting was going to end in people getting hurt. "Well, Harry and Hermione are my best friends, Ginny is my sister, and Lavender is..." he looked away awkwardly."I felt that you should all hear this from me and not from someone else."
"Hear what?" asked Lavender.
"Please, just wait until I finish. Then you can do all the yelling and stuff you want to do. Last night, I went to see Luna in the Room of Requirement. I was going to break up with her," he began and Hermione gasped.
"What do you mean that you was going to break up with her? `Was' is past tense," said Lavender standing up angrily.
"Please, let me just finish." Lavender sat back down. "But we began to fight about what happened between us the night of Harry's birthday."
"What happened between you and her on Harry's birthday?" asked Ginny becoming alarmed.
"Luna says that we slept together," said Ron slowly.
"WHAT?" asked Ginny and Lavender collectively, while jumping up in alarm at the same time. Ginny noticed that Harry and Hermione didn't jump up. They'd probably known already. Ginny didn't notice that Harry didn't have his glasses on.
"Please, just sit down. Let me finish," he said. They both sat back down. "I didn't believe her. I don't remember sleeping with Luna. In fact, I've been having recurring dreams that told me and Luna did something else that night. But, Luna proved me wrong, she told me that she hadn't had a period since the before the night of Harry's birthday. She told me that she was pregnant," finished Ron.
All four people on the couch jumped up together in concern, but Lavender was the fastest to speak. "Ron! You bastard! How could you?" she asked as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I loved you! Do you hear me? I loved you, dammit! And I thought that we had a fucking future together, but I guess that I was wrong, huh? What happened to you spending Christmas with me and my family? Did you conveniently forget to tell me then, 'oh hey I slept with Luna Lovegood' or were you ever planning to tell me? I loved you, Ron. I really did. I thought that we had something special," she said through tears.
"Lavender, I'm so, so sorry," Ron began.
"Sorry? You're sorry? Oh, I guess the fact that you're sorry is supposed to make me hurt less than I already am. Well screw you Ron."
Ron walked over to her and tried to put his arms around her for a hug, "I love you, too. I never meant to hurt you, Lavender. I never meant to hurt you," he said as she moved out of his reach.
"Don't touch me," Lavender hissed as she moved out of his reach and backed to the door. "In fact Ron, do me a favor. Don't even speak to me again. Okay?" she then opened the door and left.
"Oh, fuck!" exclaimed Ron as he watched Lavender go, tears now streaming down his face.
"How could you?" asked Ginny angrily. She was pissed. How could he do this? "How dare you disgrace what little fucking pride our family has by getting Luna pregnant and you're not even married!" she said moving toward him. "You know what the hell our family has been going through these last few months with Bill in the spotlight because those damn goblins thought he was stealing from Gringotts, then Fred and George with their defective merchandise, now Percy, and now you! And you know that Luna's father will make a big fucking deal out of it in that wacko magazine of his!" she said. She walked over to him and slapped him, so hard on the face that he fell backward onto the floor with an imprint of Ginny's hand on his face.
Ron picked himself up off the floor rubbing the side of his face where he'd been slapped. "Ow! Well, Madame Pomfrey's doing an examination in forty-five minutes to see if she really is. Will you be there?"
"I will," said Harry remembering all the times that Ron had supported him.
"And so will I," said Hermione biting her bottom lip looking pissed.
"Well, I won't," said Ginny. "Do you think that I'm going to sit and wait for Madame Pomfrey to announce what little ounce of pride down the toilet? Hell no!"
"Oh Merlin," said Ron hopelessly. "I'm screwed."
"No, but you're going to be when I send mum and dad an owl," said Ginny.
"Why are you going to send an owl to mum and dad about this?" asked Ron with a look of terror on his face.
"I think I have to. Otherwise, they'll find out from McGonogall, Dumbledore, or even the Quibbler. I have to get to class," she said and she turned her heel and left.
"Oh no, I really am screwed!" exclaimed Ron as Ginny closed the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Luna wasn't pregnant, hell she was as far from it as possible. To really be honest, she was as every inch a virgin as possible and this was exactly what she expected Madame Pomfrey to tell her after her examination. She was ready, she had it all planned out.
After she'd told Ron that she was pregnant, he'd demanded that Madame Pomfrey examine her. Luna had been horrified at the thought. She'd known that Madame Pomfrey would say that she wasn't pregnant. Therefore, after Ron left, she got dressed and went back to the Ravenclaw common room. She'd stayed up half the night trying to figure out what to do. If Ron found out that she wasn't pregnant, much less that they hadn't even slept together, he'd freak. He'd try to find out what they'd done on Harry's birthday.
He couldn't. He just couldn't. They would be given life sentences in Azkaban if anyone found out. No one could ever know that she and Ron had killed Ludo Bagman. It had happened so fast. It was a beautiful night out and Luna had convinced Ron to walk back to the inn. However, they had been followed out of the bar. The drunken Ludo followed them begging them for money.
He was dead broke since the goblins had taken all of his money. His family had left him and all he had was his pathetic little job at the ministry. Unfortunately, what he made there was divided two ways; between his family and the goblins, and he was left flat out broke. Sadly, he was on the verge of losing his job, because he was doing so poorly at it.
He kept bothering them until they finally told him to shove off; he then tried to curse them. Ron pushed him and Luna used a knife her father had given her and stabbed him in the chest. They stuffed the body in a place hidden from the average eye. Luna had apparated away quickly, but Ron (who wasn't very good at apparating) ran off. He eventually caught up with Luna and tried to convince her that what they'd done was wrong, but she made him run nonetheless. Back at the inn Ron threatened to tell his father and the other authorities at the ministry, but Luna couldn't risk a life sentence in Azkaban. So, she put a memory charm on him.
The body hadn't been found until a few weeks later. She'd lucked out that Percy was accused of the murder. It had all worked out perfectly, Ron from a far distance looked like Percy fleeing the crime. Ron tripping and tearing his robes, and his Weasley tag coming off had been perfect. The problems Percy was having at the ministry also made him look guilty and the fact that Percy lived in a flat near the murder scene was too perfect.
Sure, she was sorry that Percy would probably be locked up in Azkaban for the rest of his life, but it was better him than her, she often mused to herself. She and Ron would be happy. She'd pretend to be pregnant for a few months and then she'd fake a miscarriage. As for Lavender Brown, Luna knew that once she found out about Ron's baby she'd never want to speak to Ron again.
Everything was perfect.
"Ms. Lovegood," began Madame Pomfrey. She had just finished Luna's examination. "I can safely say that you are not pregnant. As far as I can see, you haven't even been... well... intimate with a man before."
"Yes, I have," said Luna sweetly.
"No, you haven't," said Madame Pomfrey firmly. "I have been in this business since before you were born; Ms. Lovegood and I know that you are not pregnant."
"Yeah, I bet you know about the laws that say squibs can't marry normal magic folk, too. Because, unlike muggles, squibs are completely incapable of producing magical children. The ministry thinks that if squib blood is mixed with regular magic blood, it could endanger the entire wizarding race. Did you know that? I mean, because everyone knows that squibs carry an antibody in their blood that deletes the magic in witches and wizards."
"What are you trying to say, Ms. Lovegood?" asked Madame Poppy Melinda Pomfrey, fear creeping into her voice.
"I'm saying that I know about you and Filch and if you don't tell everyone that I'm pregnant, I'll expose the two of you!" exclaimed Luna.
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh, yes I would. So, I think you have a decision to make, Madame Pomfrey. It's not a hard one, really. You can choose to help me, or you can choose to have your and Filch's lives made into a living hell."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ron, Harry, and Hermione were sitting in the reception area. Luna and Madame Pomfrey had been gone for over an hour.
Ron sighed loudly. Once Ginny had left the Head Common Room, Hermione had put her two cents in. She was now sitting quietly on his left side grumbling to herself about missing class.
Harry was telling Ron that if Luna really was pregnant, he'd stick by both of them and he'd be the best honorary uncle he could possibly be. But Ron felt like he was sick and felt like vomiting.
Madame Pomfrey stepped into the reception area. Her face was pale and stricken and she looked like she was about to faint. "Congratulations, Weasley," she began he voice firm and tight. Ron stood up. "You're going to be a father!"
Any color left in Ron's face and he fainted dead away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Thank you, Professor for agreeing to meet with me," said Firenze. It was around eight in the morning and he was in Dumbledore's office.
"I understand. Now tell me why you've been going to meet with the other centaurs?" asked Dumbledore.
"You know?"
"Yes, Hagrid has informed me that he's seen you go there at night," answered Dumbledore.
"Well, because to be honest I miss them, but I also fear for their lives and mine as well," said Firenze.
"Why?" asked Dumbledore.
"I have foreseen a vast darkness to spread over Hogwarts," said Firenze. "I first saw it around June and signals point to it becoming real."
"What is it?"
"There is someone out there seeking revenge against you and Harry Potter!" said Firenze. "And they will kill anyone who gets in their way. The centaurs know it, too!"
Unbeknownst to either of the two, they were being watched.
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"Gin'!" exclaimed Draco as he walked into his dormitory. "What the hell are you doing in here?" It was lunchtime and that morning Draco had been given a note from Ginny as they walked to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. Ginny was sitting on his bed.
"I bribed a sixth year for your password and snuck into your dorm," she answered in a nonchalant tone.
"You are becoming more and more like me everyday! Do you realize if someone saw you that you could be in major trouble?" he asked as walked over to her and took a seat beside her on his bed.
"I know, but I really needed to talk to you about everything that's happened," said Ginny hoping he would understand.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about your brother, Perry-"
"PERCY!"
"Percy. I know he didn't do it. That kid was as straight and narrow as it gets. Had the personality of a worm and sort of looked like one too," he said chuckling softly.
Ginny rolled her eyes and decided to ignore his comment. "Thanks. But, there's more, but I'm sure you heard this morning at breakfast," she said.
"Hear what?" asked Draco dumbfounded
"You must not have been in the Great Hall this morning, because she seemed to have told everyone," said Ginny.
"I wasn't. Who's told everyone what?"
Ginny sighed. "Luna Lovegood has been announcing to anyone who'll listen to her that she's pregnant," said Ginny.
"WHAT!? Loony Lovegood's trapped some poor idiot into sleeping with her?"
"Watch your mouth!" Ginny said decisively. "That poor idiot is my brother."
"You mean? Weasley and Lovegood shagged?" he asked amazed. "The trash and the wacko? It's not shocking that the only person that would even want Weasley would be a wacko!"
"Don't talk about my brother like that!" exclaimed Ginny. What was wrong with him? Didn't he know that she was trying to confide in him? "What the hell is wrong with you, Draco? That's my brother you're talking about! And the next time you let something slip I'll have to slip my fist onto your face!"
"I'm sorry, it slipped out. But, they actually slept together?" asked Draco.
"Yes," answered Ginny coldly.
"I didn't know that the two were even dating," said Draco.
"Not many people did," said Ginny. Draco noticed the worried, (but angry) look on her face.
"How are you taking it?" asked Draco forgetting all about his problems.
"I don't know. I mean how can he do this to our family?" asked Ginny more to herself than to Draco.
"You'll make it, because you're strong," said Draco.
Ginny smiled. She really did love him. She leaned in for a kiss, but her eyes glanced at his watch on his arm, which was reaching toward her face.
"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed glancing at it.
"What?" asked Draco a little annoyed that he'd been rejected.
"If we don't leave now for double potions we're going to be late and it might look suspicious if we both walk in late," said Ginny as she got of his bed and moved toward the door. She walked out and Draco followed her, but when he got to the door, Ginny had disappeared.
"Ginny?" he asked in whisper.
"Yes?" came Ginny's voice out of thin air. It made Draco jump.
"Where the hell are you?" he asked not knowing whether to be afraid or amazed.
"Right beside you of course," she said.
"How?"
Ginny did not know how to answer this. She was using Harry's invisibility cloak and seeing as how Draco was Harry's number one enemy with he-who-must-not-be-named out of the picture, she didn't know whether to tell him that she was using the cloak. She decided that she'd tell him about the cloak, but not that it belonged to Harry.
"I'm using an invisibility cloak. I wasn't about to risk getting caught," she whispered. "Now let's go."
With Draco's help, she made it out of the Slytherin living quarters and they were still walking together, when they passed Firenze's classroom. (Ginny still had the cloak on.) Firenze had been following them, once they'd reached the ground floor.
"And just where have you two come from?" asked Firenze. Ginny and Draco both turned around quickly. They both noticed that he had some kind of fabric on his feet, probably, so that he wouldn't scuff up the floors and so that he didn't make much noise when he walked.
"What do you want, centaur?" asked Draco icily.
"I want Ms. Weasley here to take off that cloak and I won't an explanation of why a Gryffindor was in the Slytherin living quarters," said Firenze, looking at Draco with the same amount of disgust as Draco did when he looked at him.
Ginny and Draco's hearts stopped in mid-beat. He'd seen them.
"Go, ahead Miss Weasley, take it off." Ginny slowly took the cloak off. "As you know, centaurs are wise and good and can see far beyond what the common folk can, and I saw you after I came from talking with Professor Snape."
"But, how did you get down the stairs?" asked Ginny trying to avoid the inevitable: him threatening to tell Dumbledore.
"There are secret passages in this school that lead to every single room in the building. Now why were you in the Slytherin living quarters?" asked Firenze.
"Why were you following us, centaur?" asked Draco saying centaur as if it were a foul tasting meet.
"As a teacher and member of this staff it is one of my duties to look after the students' well being. Now, answer me!"
"I went to borrow a book," lied Ginny feeling sick that she couldn't think of anything better.
"That may be so Ms. Weasley, but students aren't allowed to venture inside any other houses than their own. Besides, knowing your two's status, I highly doubt that you were looking for a book. I think that you were doing other things," said Firenze sharply. "You have broken the rules twice and I have warned you both! I shall be telling Dumbledore all that I know and what I suspect that you were doing this afternoon. You may continue on with your business," said Firenze and he turned and entered his classroom. Ginny's heart dropped and fell to the bottom of her stomach. This couldn't be happening. What would her parents think? Then she remembered that her mother had sent her an owl just before Ginny'd snuck off to see Draco. She was coming this afternoon to talk to Dumbledore! The shame she'd bring to her family. This just couldn't be happening.
"I guess I'll go first," said Draco icily and he turned and walked angrily away in the direction of the Great Hall mumbling something. Ginny only caught a piece of it:
"I kill that damn centaur if it's the last thing I do!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Firenze sat in the forest clearing and breathed deeply. He liked his surroundings a lot, but this classroom was nothing like the Forbidden Forest he'd called home all of his life. He felt heavily conflicted. He knew that horrible things were on the horizon and he wondered if Dumbledore took him seriously. As for Ginny Weasley, he hoped that she would take the hint and dropkick that Draco Malfoy. Firenze worried for Ginny's safety. He hadn't told Dumbledore that Ginny's fate was intertwined with his and Harry Potter's. As long as Ginny stayed with Draco Malfoy she would be in much danger.
His thoughts were broken as he heard someone else's breathing. He turned to see Draco Malfoy staring angrily at him.
"Classes are over for the day, Mr. Malfoy," said Firenze sharply. "This is my reserved time and space and I would like to be alone. If you wish to speak to me about today's event, then do it tomorrow!"
Draco chuckled darkly. An evil smile spread across his face. "You must really think you're something huh, centaur?" asked Draco as he leaned against a tree. "You walk around this damn school making threats and etceteras, etceteras. You never realized that the threats you were making could get you into a lot of trouble did you, centaur?"
"What are you implying?" asked Firenze in a far-away voice.
"I'm implying that filthy animals like you should watch their steps! You disgust me, centaur! You centaurs think you're better than every-damn-body else! YOU'RE NOT! In fact you're even more worse than the mud-bloods! At least they can control their bodily functions and not shit everywhere! I guess that's what separates men and ANIMALS! Animals are stupid and disgusting and have no control. You're nothing but Dumbledore's pet! How pathetic! You think that you actually have power? Ha! Dumbledore had lured you into a false sense of security. He can't protect, he doesn't even acknowledge you! You don't fit in with the rest of us! We eat in the Great Hall with eating utensils, you probably attack a helpless animal and eat it, like a savage!"
"You are a dark person incapable of love! Your insults do not hurt me! I parade up and down the streets to see an evil person like you in misery!" exclaimed Firenze determined not to be intimidated by this Dark Wizard.
"You son-of-a-bitch! You fucking animal!" exclaimed Draco getting angry. A thought came to him and he calmed down. It'd be a shame if I let the rest of your little centaur friends in the building and kill you. But, don't worry I'll figure out a way to get you.You'll get yours centaur! You'll get yours!" Draco then turned a disappeared through the trees and was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was dinnertime and all the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were enjoying all the food they could get their hands on after a hard day of school. Tomorrow was Halloween and all the students were excited. That is except Ron Weasley, who that same Thursday morning had been told by Madame Pomfrey that he would be a father.
All of the students talked excitedly about the Great Feast the following night. Except two, who sat in Dumbledore's office with their parents discussing plans for the future.
"Luna will remain here at Hogwarts until she finishes testing," said Dumbledore who had been arguing with Mr. Lovegood.
"But, the baby is due in May," persisted Mr. Lovegood.
"I'm fully well aware of that, but she'll be behind in her studies if she leaves now. Besides the baby is due at the end of April, and that's at least three weeks before testing is started. I see no reason why she and the baby cannot stay until after she finishes testing. She can leave Hogwarts the minute she has finished testing," said Dumbledore firmly.
"Fine," said Mr. Lovegood giving up. He was quite happy about the situation, something Mrs. Weasley disapproved of.
"Well, I don't want my first grandchild born into wedlock so they'll have to marry!" proclaimed Mrs. Weasley.
"Of course," agreed Mr. Lovegood.
"Now wait a minute, this isn't the fifties anymore. People's views on this type of thing have changed," said Dumbledore.
"Well mine haven't, Albus. It's bad enough the child was conceived in wedlock, but anything else beyond that isn't negotiable," said Mrs. Weasley firmly. "Ron and Luna will marry."
"I completely agree," said Mr. Lovegood. "And it'll be on the cover of my magazine!"
"Like hell it won't," proclaimed Mrs. Weasley. Any other time Ron would've taken joy in his mother using profanity, but right now he was to depressed. "My family has been through enough without being in another scandal because our youngest son married before he even left HOGWARTS! It'll be small ceremony on the grounds of the Burrow."
"Fine, but I'm still doing an article about it. With pictures! She's my daughter and you can't stop me!" yelled Mr. Lovegood.
It was obvious that they were about to go toe-to-toe, so Dumbledore broke it up.
"Enough! Have you stopped to think of what your children want?" asked Dumbledore.
"Well I think that boy has done enough thinking," said Mr. Lovegood.
"What exactly are you implying?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"Well, it's obvious that your delinquent forced my daughter-"
"You say another word and you'll be picking your teeth up off of the floor!" said Mrs. Weasley.
"I do pay attention to the news, Molly. I happen to know what sort of family you've raised!"
"STOP IT!" yelled Dumbledore. "Ron, Luna, what do you want to do?"
"Well, I love Ronald and I want our baby to have a real family," said Luna innocently.
Ron felt that all the food that he'd ever eaten would come out of him at that moment. It didn't. Instead, Ron got down on one knee and asked Luna to marry him. She squealed with excitement and answered yes.
"Well, I think that we can all agree that the wedding will take place over Christmas holiday," said Mrs. Weasley. Everyone in the room grudgingly nodded their heads yes. "On New Year's Day." Everyone nodded.
There was a knock on the door and Hagrid rushed into the room.
"Dumbledore, come quick it's Firenze!" he yelled.
"What's happened?" asked Dumbledore.
"No time to explain!" said Hagrid.
"Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Lovegood, I would appreciate if you take a portkey back to your homes," said Dumbledore as he ran out of the room.
"Hagird, what happened?" asked Ron.
"Firenze was murdered."
To be continued........................