Author's note: If you've read this story as well as some of our solo projects, you've probably noticed a recurring theme...Ginny. Plain and simple, people.... We don't like her....which is why she's usually the bad girl/villain in our stories. In canon, she'll be okay with us as long as she stays away from Harry...far, far, far away. Until then, we torture her as the bad girl in our fics. Please don't hate us because we hate Ginevra.
I'd Rather Be In Love - Michelle Branch
I cannot help it I couldn't stop it if I tried
The same old heartbeat fills the emptiness I have inside
And I've heard that you can't fight love, so I won't complain
'Cause why would I stop the fire that keeps me going on?
***
Just before daybreak, Hermione awoke feeling as if she'd just had the most incredible dream. She could still remember vividly how Harry had touched her and held her and how he'd kissed her. She felt something heavy on her stomach and she opened her eyes and saw an arm draped casually across her bare stomach. She turned over and smiled as she caught sight of a sleeping, peaceful Harry. It hadn't been a dream.
She allowed herself a few more moments of wonderful recollection before she chanced looking at the bedside table clock. It was nearly six in the morning. She needed to get back to her own cabin before her parents awoke. After her father's attitude the night before, he'd probably not be too keen to find out that his daughter had made a beeline for the very place he'd told her never to set foot in again.
She lifted Harry's arm slowly away from her as not to wake him. She pulled back the sheet and grabbed her knickers. Hermione moved gingerly around the room collecting her clothing so she wouldn't wake Harry.
Harry smacked his lips gently, using his hand to wipe his mouth off from the overnight drool. He buried his face in the pillow as he thought about the events of the previous night.
He and Hermione had made love twice before falling asleep in each others' arms. Harry moved his arm out to search for her warm body but only felt the cotton sheets and an empty pillow.
"Hermione?" he mumbled, pushing himself up with his arms.
"Right here," she whispered, from the edge of the bed. She was just putting on her shoes when she heard him begin to stir. "I didn't want to wake you."
"Where are you going?" he managed a sleepy smile and blinked before sliding his glasses onto his nose.
"I need to get back," she said quietly, not daring to look at him. If she did, she feared she'd never want to leave. "My parents will be getting up soon. They've never slept late in their lives."
She wondered why she was babbling like this. After what they'd experienced the night before, she wouldn't have figured she'd feel so unsure of what to say.
"Oh," Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed, arching his back before getting up to pull on some clothes. "I'll walk you to your cabin then."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "You don't have to. Besides, someone could see. We don't need to chance that."
"Yes, but I want to be with you as long as possible," Harry slid his arms around her shoulders.
Hermione relaxed into his arms. "That's what I want too," she whispered. "But, we can't take a chance, Harry. You saw my dad last night. What if your uncle was skulking about the grounds, too?"
Harry sighed. "All right, you have a good point." He pulled away from her and went into a trunk in the corner of the room. "Here, take this with you." Harry held out his invisibility cloak.
She shook her head. "I can't take that, Harry. That's yours. I'll be okay. If anyone sees me, I'll just tell them I went on an early morning run or something to clear my head."
"No, I don't need anyone else becoming suspicious," Harry thrust the cloak into her hands. "Take it, and give it back to me later this afternoon." He hugged her again. "You're coming for another lesson right?"
She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, not wanting to leave. "Mmmhmm," she murmured. "I'll probably have to do some damage control with my dad, but I'll try to get away. When did you want to meet?"
"Say around four?" Harry asked softly. He tilted her chin up and kissed her softly.
She nodded. "I should go," she said reluctantly. "Are you going to check on Cho later?"
I'll be there," Harry kissed her again. "See you later..." he stood at the door and watched as she slipped the cloak over her head and disappeared.
*** *** ***
Breakfast that morning was quite a silent affair. Hermione was still tired from her activities the night before, and her father was all but giving her the complete silent treatment. She had tried to talk to him before they left the cabin but he'd taken her mother's arm and strode ahead of her and her cousin. "Dad can you pass the scones?" she asked, trying to draw him into conversation.
Robert silently extended the plate to his daughter without once raising his eyes from his newspaper.
Elinore couldn't help noticing the coolness between her husband and daughter. She wondered what was going on and had every intention of asking Robert once they were alone.
"Hermione?" she asked, looking at her daughter. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me and Lavender for a shopping trip today? We were going to head into town and visit a couple of the shops."
"Oh ummm... sure...." Hermione replied. "As long as we're back early... I've got... a... lesson this afternoon at four."
"A lesson?" Elinore asked, confused.
"Croquet!" Hermione said quickly. "I'm learning how to play."
"You know how to play croquet," Elinore said. "Why would you need additional lessons?"
Lavender noticing the desperate look in her cousin's eyes decided to help out. "She was telling me just the other day that she read a study that said that people who excel at sports excel in academic pursuits. And we all know how Hermione likes to be the best in everything, don't we?"
Elinore nodded. "That's a wonderful idea, Hermione. I'm proud of you for doing something like that."
Hermione smiled gratefully at her cousin who winked back and promptly turned to pudding as Draco arrived at their table.
"Good morning," Draco bent in his customary fashion to take Lavender's hand to his lips.
Lavender giggled happily. "It is now."
Momentarily forgetting about her cousin's situation, Lavender turned her full attention to an attentive Draco. "You should definitely be by the lake this afternoon," she whispered to him.
"Why's that?" he asked, his back to Hermione who was trying to order her breakfast.
"Because," Lavender said mischieviously, "My aunt's taking Hermione and me into town for a little bit of shopping. I plan on buying a new bikini or two."
"I'll definitely be there," Draco replied, his thoughts momentarily wandering to Ginny, and how good she looked in a bikini as well. "But for now, what can I get you for breakfast?"
"I'll have french toast please," Hermione said loudly. "Along with some orange juice please."
"That sounds delicious," Elinore said. "I'll have that, too. How about you, Robert?" She looked to her husband who was still engrossed in his newspaper.
"Just toast for me please," he grunted. Hermione cast her eyes downwards as her mother sighed.
After everyone had placed their orders, Elinore looked between her husband and daughter again. She couldn't imagine what had them acting this way toward each other. Hermione had always been the apple of her father's eye. Seeing that getting anything out of him at the breakfast table was a lost cause, she turned to Petunia.
"What was that you were saying about a guest reporting a stolen wallet?" she asked conversationally. At this question, Dudley nearly dropped his glass of orange juice. The entire table turned to look at him and he just grinned sheepishly and mopped up the mess with his napkin.
"Vernon seems to think the guest just misplaced it," Petunia answered. "It'll probably turn up, but you should probably keep your doors locked at night just in case we have a thief on the loose."
"Interesting," Robert finally set down his paper. "I heard about that this morning on our way to breakfast."
"You don't think it could be one of the staff, do you, Dad?" Dudley asked, remembering exactly how Ginny told him to phrase the question. He hoped he sounded convincing.
"I'm not sure." Vernon twisted his thick moustache in his fingers. "I'd swear by most of my employees, but a few." he thought of his good for nothing nephew.
"They all seem like nice young people to me," Elinore commented. "I don't think I've ever seen more friendly and attentive employees in my life."
"Especially the waiters," Lavender said with a goofy grin, looking at Draco who was taking an order at an adjacent table.
Hermione rolled her eyes. She wished she could voice her opinion on their dancers, but she didn't want to make things any more strained between her and her father than they already were.
*** *** ***
Cho shifted uncomfortably in her bed. The mattress had always felt soft to her before, but now felt like there were hundreds of rocks in it instead. "I'm taking care of you little one," she rubbed her hand over her stomach, still hardly believing her decision.
Robert knocked softly on the door. He'd promised the girl last night that he'd be by in the morning to check up on her and make sure she was doing okay. After he'd seen his wife and daughter and niece off, he'd headed back to the cabin to collect his medical bag before heading for the employees' quarters.
"Come in," Cho called, hoping it was Harry. She was surprised he'd not stopped by yet, but he'd had a hard night, she was sure he was still sleeping. "Oh... morning Dr. Granger."
"Good morning," he said brightly. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Better, thanks to you," Cho said softly. "I... I'm afraid I'm not sure how I can pay you for this... I don't really have a lot of money."
"Nonsense," he said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "You don't need to repay me. I'm a doctor, after all. I do still think that you should have gone to a hospital at the first sign of trouble, but I am glad that I was here to help."
Cho nodded and leaned back as he began his examination of her. "Dr. Granger... I hope you're not angry at Hermione. She's been a great help to me over the past few weeks..." she left out the details of Harry's feelings and the dance. "She's a good person."
Robert nodded absently as he took her blood pressure. "Well, your vital signs are all quite normal, which is a good sign. You're probably going to be sore the next few days. You should get plenty of bed rest and I'm going to leave you a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. You should get that filled straightaway."
He pulled his prescription pad from his bag and hastily wrote the prescription down and handed her the slip of paper. "Maybe one of your friends could head into town and get that filled for you?"
"Thank you," Cho took the piece of paper and set it on her bedside table. "Thanks so much for everything."
He grinned at her and patted her arm. "I'll check in on you again tomorrow. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and just take it easy." He got to his feet and headed for the door. "I don't want to see you on that dance floor anytime soon."
"I won't," Cho replied. "Thanks again." Hermione's father nodded as he closed the door behind him.
Robert smiled as he walked down the stairs to Miss Chang's cabin. He was glad that the girl and her baby were going to be fine. His smile quickly faded when he saw a tall, young man with raven hair walking purposely toward him. The young man looked up in surprise when he saw Robert.
"Hello sir," Harry said, a bit nervously. "How... how's Cho doing?"
"She's doing fine," Robert said icily. "No thanks to you, of course."
Harry stopped in his tracks. "What does that mean?" he asked, his throat a bit tight.
Robert shook his head and let out a hollow laugh. "I think you know damn well what it means! I won't have what happened to that girl happen to my daughter."
Harry felt his breath catch in his chest. "I didn't get Cho pregnant." He replied. "It's not my place to say who did, but it wasn't me. And I would never do that to Hermione, I respect her far too much!" he felt his face growing red.
"If you respect my daughter at all, you'll stay away from her," Robert said sternly. "She's got plans and goals that I will not let you get in the way with. She doesn't need someone like you coming along and filling her head with ideas about romance and love when you obviously don't know the first thing about them. She's a naive, young girl and I will not have you taking advantage of her. Do you get that?"
Harry clenched his fists at his side. "No, I don't. She's an amazing person and I feel honoured that she's come into my life. Hermione's not your little girl anymore, she's a grown woman who can make her own choices." with that Harry stalked past the doctor and up the stairs to Cho's cabin.
Robert watched as Harry slammed the cabin door shut. He meant what he said. Hermione had come much too far to fall for the likes of someone like this Harry Potter. He knew that the boy wouldn't admit he'd been the one who got Cho pregnant. Robert had seen his type before. He was the love them and leave them type. If Robert had anything to say about it, his daughter would stay far away from Harry Potter.
Harry slammed the door behind him, angry over Hermione's father's words. He knew what a fantastic person Hermione was... he had no intentions of ever doing anything to hurt her again. Forcing his anger away, he approached Cho's bed. "Hey you," he said, a true smile curving up his lips. "How are you feeling?" he kissed her forehead as he sat down.
"Much better than last night," she said, wincing a little as she sat up in bed. "You just missed Dr. Granger. He stopped by to check on me and the little one."
"No, I saw him," Harry grimaced.
Cho's smile faded as she saw the look on Harry's face. "What happened?"
"He wants me to stay away from Hermione," Harry sighed. "He thinks I'm the father of your baby, obviously."
"Oh no," Cho said, her face reddening. "It's all my fault, Harry. I'll clear things up for him next time he stops by."
"No," Harry replied. "I'm not a nark and neither are you."
"He must have been pretty awful to you, huh?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.
Harry shook his head. "He's just being a dad, I guess. I just wish he knew I'm not a bad guy. I love Hermione and I'd never do anything to hurt her, ever."
Cho looked up at him and grinned knowingly at him. "Did something happen last night after you left?" she asked pointedly. "It did, didn't it?"
Harry smiled goofily. "Yeah... something did."
"I take it Dr. Granger isn't aware of this little detail, is he?" Cho asked. Without waiting for an answer, she mused, "You're still standing here so I guess he's totally unaware that his only daughter spent the night with you then?"
"I would rather enjoy keeping it that way, thanks." Harry pushed back his hair and grabbed her hand. "Enough about me... tell me what happened last night."
"It's a little blurry," she said as she leaned back into her pillow. "The whole way there I just kept thinking about the baby. I just kept thinking that maybe I could make it work after all by myself? But, we'd already made the plans so I decided to go through with it."
Her eyes welled up with tears as she remembered how frightened and unsure she'd been as she and Neville waited for the doctor. "He'd already begun when I just changed my mind. I couldn't go through with it."
Harry brushed her hair back. "It's all right," he said gently. "And I promise I'll be here for you. Whatever you need, just tell me."
"You might live to regret that when I need someone to help me change nappies," she teased.
"Hey I already offered to help you do that," Harry joked. "But if your little one has diarrhoea you're on your own," his eyes twinkled.
"Okay, okay," she said, with a laugh. "This kid's going to have half of Draco Malfoy's genes, you're going to need to be a positive father figure to balance that out, okay?"
"I'll be there," Harry kissed the back of her hand. "What's that for?" he nodded at the piece of paper on her bedside table.
Cho looked at the piece of paper and smiled. "Dr. Granger gave me a prescription for prenatal vitamins. He thinks I need to get started on them straightaway."
"Want me to get that filled for you?" Harry asked.
"You've already done enough for me," she said, shaking her head.
"I'll do everything you need done," Harry insisted, taking the paper and shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. "Are... are you able to dance?"
"In my dreams," she joked. "Dr. Granger wants me to take it easy. I was hoping you'd talk to Luna and see if she'd do some double duty on lessons for me?"
"I'll do that too," Harry promised. He kissed her forehead again and got up. "I'll let you rest all right?"
"Harry?" she called to him before he reached the door. He turned slowly around and looked at her. "Be careful. Don't screw this up."
"I'll be careful," he replied, smiling at her. He was about to close the door when she called out to him again.
"Harry, if you see Neville, can you send him over?" Cho asked.
Harry raised his eyebrow. "What's going on there?" he asked devilishly.
"Oh no you don't," she said, her pale cheeks reddening. "Don't get any ideas on setting me up with anyone. I still remember that time you tried to set me up with that awful Justin Finch-Fletchley. And you claim to be my best friend."
Harry laughed loudly. "Point taken. I'll be back in a bit. Anything you're craving yet?" he grinned.
"Chocolate frogs and pistachio ice cream," she said deadpan. "Oh, and if you could manage it jelly slugs and pasta. And strawberries with mayonnaise..."
Harry paled. "Enough," He replied, clearly disgusted as he closed the door behind him.
*** *** ***
Hermione walked along the quaint streets of a small neighbouring village with her cousin. Elinore had stopped in a gift shop a block or so behind them and Lavender was dead set on buying a new bikini so they'd gone on ahead.
"Come on, Hermione," Lavender said, turning around impatiently. "You sure are dragging along today."
"Sorry," Hermione yawned. "I'm really tired. That dance really wore me out last night." she didn't speak of exactly which dance she was referring to.
"Speaking of which," Lavender said. "You're welcome for covering for you last night and this morning with your folks."
"Thank you," Hermione replied pointedly as Lavender pushed open a door to a small clothing shop. "I do appreciate it, more than you know."
Lavender squealed excitedly as she took in rack upon rack of bathing suits. "How am I going to chose between them all?"
She immediately began thumbing through the suits and grabbing random suits and putting them under her arm. She looked behind at Hermione. "You ought to buy one too," Lavender said to her. "You've had that one bathing suit since we were 14."
"I like that suit," Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Why waste money on a suit, you can buy a pair of knickers that look just like them nowadays for far less money."
Lavender rolled her eyes. "You have no sense of fashion. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that we're related."
She grabbed Hermione by the arm and started picking out suits and flinging them at a startled Hermione. "Besides, you never know who might walk by the lake," she said, winking at Hermione.
"Sod it all," Hermione grumbled. "Pick one out for me then... I've no bloody idea what I should look for."
"Well," Lavender said, grinning at her. "You should concentrate on something that will accentuate your positive figure attributes and that will hide your figure flaws." She stood back and gave her annoyed cousin an appraising look. "You have great legs and so we should probably pick something out that accentuates that."
Hermione looked into the rack and pulled one out. "How's this?" it was pink and had some lace trimming.
"That's perfect if you want to look like cotton candy," Lavender said, grabbing the suit forcefully from Hermione and placing it back on the rack. She picked out a blue string bikini with polka dots. "Blue would be perfect on you!" She held the suit up to Hermione. "Perfect!"
"I don't like polka dots," Hermione pushed it down.
"Okay," Lavender said, frowning. "How about candy apple red?" She picked up an even skimpier suit and held it up for Hermione's approval.
Hermione pictured herself standing in front of Harry with nothing but that suit on. "I'll try it on," she offered, taking it from her cousin.
"He'll love you in it," Lavender called to her, a huge grin on her face.
"Sod off," Hermione tossed back, disappearing into the small dressing room. She took off her shorts and shirt and pulled the suit on. She gulped as she noticed it pretty much covered only what it was supposed to and nothing else. "I'm not too sure about this," she said, a bit nervously.
"Then it's perfect," Lavender called to her from outside the dressing room. "If you think it's bad, it is perfect. Face it, Hermione. Your idea of being racy is wearing beige knickers instead of plain white ones."
Hermione turned red as she opened the door a crack. "Do... do you think I should buy it?" she asked.
"I do," Lavender said, as she managed to open the door all the way to get a good look at Hermione. "But, if you try to cover up with a towel, I will never speak to you again."
She smiled reassuringly at her cousin. "You have a great figure, Hermione. Don't be afraid to show it off once in awhile."
Hermione looked thoughtfully at herself in the mirror. Due to the vigorous dance practises of the past week or so, her body looked more firm than before. "I'll buy it," she said decisively. Lavender was right, for a change. She never thought she'd learn to dance like she had, and she certainly never thought she'd spend 100 quid on a few scraps of fabric.
"Don't show Uncle Robert that," Lavender said, jokingly, not noticing the frown that came over Hermione's face at the mention of her father. "I doubt he'd left you out of the cabin with that on."
"I won't." Hermione answered, getting back into her own clothes. "Have you decided what you're getting?"
"Yeah," Lavenders said. "I think I'll go with these three." She held up three suits that made Hermione's bikini look conservative. "Do you think Draco will like them?" she asked.
"He probably likes you better in nothing, the git." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Lav, honestly, why can't you see he's a jerk?"
"Because he's not," Lavender said defensively. "Can we just agree to disagree where he's concerned?"
Hermione shook her head but said no more as the two girls paid for their garments.
"We'd better go find your mum," Lavender said a few minutes later as they exited the store. "It's nearly four o'clock. You wouldn't want to be late for your croquet lesson, would you?"
Hermione pushed her cousin. "No, wouldn't want to be late for that," she replied.
A/N: This chapter turned out to be 24 pages… so we're posting it in two bits for easier reading. There will be Ron/Luna in the chapter after the next… trust us, you'll like what we have in store for them!
In the next part: Some HOT H/Hr and D/G headed your way!