Just a quick note to say thanks to all of you who have left such great reviews! I really appreciate them! I just wanted to say that to me this chapter is not up to par with the others, but I am my worst critic. It was necessary to make a transition to the next part of the story, so I'm sorry if it seems a little boring. I'm working towards the end, and I promise it will be worth it! Oh, and the protective shield in the last chapter was inspired by the show Charmed.
Harry watched in horror as Hermione's body crumpled onto the floor. He ran over to where she was and gathered her in his arms. As he did this, a couch materialized next to him. He picked her up and laid her down on it while sitting next to her. Her face was white as a sheet, but otherwise she seemed to be ok.
"Hermione" he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "Can you hear me?" Harry was starting to get worried. He had never seen anything like that before. Hermione started to stir, pulling Harry's attention back to her.
"Harry?" she asked, looking disoriented.
"yeah, how are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm really tired. What happened?" she asked, looking around the room.
"Why don't we get you checked by Madam Pomfrey and then we'll talk about what happened?" Harry asked. He didn't like how white her face was right now.
"NO!" she yelled, startling him. He looked at her confused, and she was glaring at him. "I don't want to go back to that bloody hospital ward! I'm FINE!"
"I'm just worried about you and the baby Hermione" he said quietly, standing up and walking a little ways away from her.
"Oh Merlin" said Hermione. She had seen the flash of hurt cross Harry's face and couldn't believe what she had just said. Slowly getting up from the couch, she cautiously walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't look at her and she felt his body stiffen at her touch. She closed her eyes, willing away the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. "I am so sorry Harry. I have been a royal wench lately and I have been so horrible to you" she said, her voice breaking. "Why do you put up with me?"
Harry slowly turned around and looked at her. He didn't make any motion towards her, he just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why do you think Hermione? Do you think I lied to you every time I told you I love you?" She could hear the anger in his voice and she could see him fighting it to stay calm. "I-love-you. Do I need to say it after every sentence?" Frustrated, Harry ran a hand through his hair and said "Look, let's just get you back to our room and you can lay down there, ok? If you start to feel worse I'll see if I can get Madam Pomfrey to come check you out."
She didn't know what hurt worse; the way he talked to her or the fact that he didn't touch her at all. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden she just wanted him to wrap her in his arms and hold her there. The look in his eyes saddened her. His eyes were always so alive; emerald pools that shone like the sun when he was happy. She hadn't seen them do that for a while now. She was startled from her thoughts when he swept her up in his arms and started for the door, not once looking at her.
They walked through the portrait hole into the common room, and thankfully the only people there were Ron, Remus and Hermione's parents. When her Dad got up and started towards them, Harry stopped dead in his tracks.
"If you come near us, you may not live to see your grandchild" growled Harry, his eyes flashing again at her father.
"Why you..."her father started to say when her Mum grabbed his arm and tugged at him to sit back down.
"Harry?" Remus said quietly so as not to startle him. Harry looked at him surprised; he hadn't even noticed Remus walking over to him. "Is everything ok?"
"Not really. Something happened in the Room of Requirement. Can we go in our room and talk about it?" Harry asked him quietly. When Remus nodded, Harry started to make his way to their room. He noticed the four get up to follow, and he turned suddenly. "Mr. Granger" he said in disgust "this doesn't concern you at all. I will take care of MY wife; if she wants her Mum there that's fine. But you are not welcome in our quarters anymore."
Everyone in the room looked stunned; they had never heard Harry talk so insolently to anyone before. Hermione's Dad stood there glaring daggers at his back as he said the password and went into their room. Her Mum gave him a stern look and told him to stay put and then she followed Ron and Remus in.
Harry walked over to their bed and gently lay Hermione down on it. He looked at Ron and asked "would you go get Dumbledore and Pomfrey for me please. Hermione didn't want to go to the Hospital Ward, so I brought her back here. I'll wait and explain everything until you get back." Ron nodded and headed back out the door. He sat down next to Hermione on the bed and grabbed her hand. She looked at him, surprised at the affectionate gesture as he said "I'm sorry for the way I've acted through all of this. I think it would be best for us to try and forgive each other so we can move ahead. I don't like fighting with you."
"I don't like fighting with you either Harry. I don't know what is going on with me; I know Madam Pomfrey said that pregnancy hormones are a big factor, but I don't like myself right now. I still have no idea why I've acted the way I have and said the things I've said to you" said Hermione, trying to explain to him what she had been going through.
"It's ok Love. You put up with my temper tantrums and mood swings the summer before fifth year and even during the school year. It's only fair that I stick by you through your rough times too." Harry looked up when he heard the door open and saw Ron almost pushing Dumbledore into the room with Madam Pomfrey in tow. He could hear Mr. Granger yelling something as the door slammed shut behind them.
Once inside, Dumbledore looked at them all and said "Mr. Weasley, do you care to explain why we just ran through the common room while Mr. Granger was yelling at me and looked ready to explode?" Ron looked slightly embarrassed, and Madam Pomfrey was grumbling under her breath. She noticed Hermione lying on the bed and went to examine her.
"I can explain" said Harry. "Mr. Granger and I got into a little tiff before" said Harry, while Ron muttered "Little?" under his breath. "I'm sure you know why they were here; well, our discussion got a little heated. Mr. Granger said some things to me that made me angry. I ended up setting the door on fire and incinerating it. As for why I asked you here, I had gone to the room of requirement to work off some anger; I was doing one of the Diagon Alley simulations. There were death eaters coming at me from all sides and I had thrown a fireball at one and that's when Hermione walked in. It was heading right for her." Harry heard Jane gasp at this, and continued. "She saw it coming at her and tried to shield herself with her hands." He looked directly at Dumbledore and said "Sir, just before she was hit a blue halo of light surrounded her. The fireball I had thrown bounced off of it and disappeared. After about a minute, the blue light went away and she collapsed onto the floor."
Dumbledore stood listening with rapt attention. When Harry was finished, the twinkle in his eyes seemed even brighter than before. "I've heard of this happening, but only once before. There was a Royal nun that was said to have conceived a child with an angel. She was attacked in her village one day because there was rumor among the villagers that the child she carried was in fact a demon. Just before one of the villagers struck her, a blue glow erupted from her stomach and engulfed her entire body. No one could get to her; anything thrown at her was rebounded back at the person who threw it."
Madam Pomfrey stopped examining Hermione and looked at Dumbledore "You don't mean..."
"Merlin. He protected his mother from the womb when he sensed she was in danger. After that day, they were convinced she was carrying a demon-child and cast her out of the village." Dumbledore looked at all the stunned faces around him, especially Harry. Hermione had an almost frightened look on her face. "Professor, just how powerful do you think our son will be?" she asked.
"There's really no way to tell, but from what we've seen already I'd say he's going to be very powerful. For all we know he may be in the same league as Merlin. If he were to inherit your intelligence and his father's courage and daring spirit, I'd say you are going to have your hands full." Dumbledore smiled at them and turned to Harry "is there anything I need to address between you and Mr. Granger?"
"No, I basically told him to stay away from us or he might not live to see his grandson" Harry said, not looking him directly in the eyes.
"Harry..." Dumbledore said, trying to hide the smile that threatened to show itself. He just shook his head and said "I will leave that for you to handle then. If there are any more new developments, let me know." As he started walking towards the door, he turned to them all and said "let us keep this news between us, alright? It would not do to have Voldemort learn of this new development." They all nodded their agreement and he left the room.
"Well Mrs. Potter" said Madam Pomfrey, drawing everyone's attention back to her and Hermione "you're magic levels are lower than they should be and the baby's has gone down too. You need to stay in bed and rest for a couple of days."
"What about classes?" Hermione asked.
"I'm sure I can get your work for you" Harry said. "You need to rest up. Not only for you, but for the baby too."
"Have you guys even come close to a name yet?" asked Ron. "I mean, you always refer to him as 'the baby' when you know it's a boy already."
Harry and Hermione looked at one another, then back at him. "We are still deciding" said Harry "I just kind of refer to him as 'the little guy' and Hermione seems fond of calling him 'pumpkin'."
Jane Granger looked at Hermione and said "I used to call you that when you were little." Hermione smiled and said "I remember; I guess that's why I call him that. I used to love to hear you call me pumpkin, it made me feel special."
"All I remember the Dursley's calling me was 'freak' and that word will never be mentioned around our son" Harry said very seriously.
Remus, who had been sitting on the couch observing the scene, said "your Dad used to call your Mum pumpkin." He laughed quietly to himself for a moment then said "Lily never seemed fond of the nickname, but she never came out and said it. One day I asked James why he called her that, and he said it was because sometimes when they sat in the common room the fire would reflect off of your mother's hair. He said it was an orange-ish color that reminded him of a pumpkin."
Harry smiled at him, thankful for yet another story about his parents. It seemed the only way he found out what kind of people they really were. "Well, I need to get the Granger's back to their home" said Remus, pulling out of his nostalgic mood.
"Mr. Lupin" said Mrs. Granger "do you have plans for Christmas?"
"Please call me Remus. No, no I don't have any plans. I just usually stay at Grimmauld Place with..." he was about to say Sirius, but then remembered he was no longer with them. With a stricken look on his face, he said "no, no plans this year."
Jane looked from Harry to Remus, noting their sad faces and said "why don't you come to our house on Christmas Eve? Harry is coming home with Hermione and we would love for you to come. You could spend the night and stay to have Christmas dinner with us?"
"If Mr. Granger doesn't kill me in my sleep first" said Harry, only half joking.
Remus smirked at him and said "I would love to Mrs. Granger"
"Please call me Jane" she said. "It'll be wonderful to have a full house for Christmas" she said happily.
"What about Daddy" asked Hermione "he's being so awful to Harry. Maybe we should just stay here at the castle."
"Over my dead body! Don't worry about your father, I'll take care of him. When I'm through with him, he'll be back to his sweet old self" said her Mum with a very determined look on her face.
"Well, we should be going" said Remus, gesturing towards the door. "I guess I will see you on Christmas Eve Harry."
"And I will pick you two up from the train station in one week" said Jane happily. "It's going to be such a wonderful Christmas!"
One week later, Harry and Hermione were loading their trunks into the boot of Mrs. Granger's car. Hermione was finally declared healthy by Madam Pomfrey and was cleared to travel on the train. Her Mum had hugged them both when she saw them and had told them that Robert had promised to be on his best behavior during their visit. They made the drive to the Granger's home, and Harry was in awe of their house. It was a beautiful two story house with stucco exterior and many windows. In one of the windows he could see a giant Christmas tree lit with colorful lights. They pulled into a two car garage and Harry got out, getting their trunks. They walked into the kitchen through a side door in the garage and Harry couldn't believe how elegant their house was. What surprised him the most was how at home he felt the minute he walked in. As they made their way through the dining room into the living room, they saw Mr. Granger sitting in a recliner watching TV. He looked up as they walked in and gave them a slight smile. He got up and walked over to Hermione, extending his arms out offering a hug. Hermione looked at him for a moment, then walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. After they separated, he turned toward Harry and hesitantly extended his hand out to him. Harry took the proffered hand and shook it hoping things would be civil between them for Hermione's sake. Smiling, Robert Granger broke their handshake and sat back down in his chair without saying a word. Slightly puzzled, Hermione motioned for Harry to follow her as she headed out to the foyer where the staircase was. Harry looked up as he walked to the staircase and marveled at what he saw. The foyer opened up to the upstairs balcony, the ceiling stretching well above that. Above the door there was a beautiful circular stained glass window that the last rays of daylight was shining through and throwing patches of color all around the upstairs. They went up to the second level and Hermione went to her old room.
"It's ok for Harry and I to stay in here, isn't it Mum?" asked Hermione.
"Sure it's ok. You two are married now, whether your father likes it or not. You have your own private quarters at school, so why shouldn't you share a room here?" her Mum replied. "Why don't you two get settled and come down for dinner. I put a stew on this morning and it should be just about done." She smiled at the couple and made her way back downstairs.
After putting their things away, Harry and Hermione went down for supper. The four of them sat at the table and just as they were starting to eat, Robert cleared his throat and said "I'd like to apologize to both of you for the way I acted last time I saw you. I guess I'm still overprotective of you Hermione, and when I saw how upset you were I put the blame on Harry for everything. I shouldn't have lost my temper like I did; it wasn't my place to meddle in your affairs. I was there to try to help the two of you and instead I made things worse."
"It's ok Daddy, I know how protective of me you've always been. But you need to accept that Harry and I are married now. We just went through a rough patch in our relationship, but things are getting better" she said, smiling at him and then looking expectantly at Harry.
"Mr. Granger, I want to apologize for the way I acted too. I was way out of line when I threatened you and I'm sorry" Harry said. Mr. Granger looked at him and said "apology accepted. Now let's enjoy the wonderful food your Mother made and start the holidays off right!"
They all agreed and dug in. They talked casually throughout dinner and spent time together the rest of the night. They all went to bed that night feeling like a great weight had been lifted off of their shoulders. The next couple of days were spent Christmas shopping, watching all of the holiday specials on TV and for the first time in Harry's life he made Christmas cookies with Jane and Hermione. He and Hermione were covered in flour and frosting afterward but they were having so much fun they didn't care. The two were getting their relationship back to where it had been before and were now slowly becoming closer. No matter what they were doing, they always seemed to be holding hands or touching in some way. Soon it was Christmas Eve and they were awaiting the arrival of Remus. He had owled them earlier that day to say that he would be hooking their fireplace up to the Floo network from five to six that night only and then it would reconnect Christmas Day between eight and nine at night. The four of them were sitting in the living room relaxing and watching TV about four that afternoon. Hermione was snuggled up against Harry as he was looking around at all the decorations, wishing all of his holidays had been like this. He was going to try his hardest to make sure his son's Christmas's were like this; maybe they could come to the Granger's home to celebrate or have them over to their house every year. He loved the idea of a big family holiday celebration.
"OH!" said Hermione suddenly, sitting upright and putting a hand to her stomach.
"What? What is it?" he asked worriedly as her parents gathered around them.
"He kicked!" she said with a huge smile and bright eyes.
"He did?" Harry asked, immediately putting his hand next to hers on her stomach. Looking relieved that it wasn't anything serious, her Dad went and sat back down in his chair.
"Is that the first time you've felt him kick" asked her Mum, looking happy and proud.
"Yeah; I've been feeling these weird little twinges that I thought might be him but I wasn't sure. I couldn't mistake that one, he definitely kicked. Maybe we'll have a footballer on our hands" said Hermione, smiling at Harry.
"Football? No, he's going to play quidditch. Maybe he'll be a seeker like me" he said with a thoughtful look on his face.
"I don't think so. It's bad enough watching you diving at the ground at breakneck speeds, I don't think I'd be able to watch our son do it too." She noticed the serious look on Harry's face and asked "what are you thinking about that's got you so serious?"
"I was just thinking how great it would be for our little guy to have a normal life like every other magical child, and not have to go through everything you and I have been through these past years" Harry said with a sad smile on his face.
"He will have a normal life because his Daddy is going to protect him and make sure he grows up without any threat from Voldemort or his followers. I know you're going to defeat him when the time comes and we can live the rest of our lives in peace" she said and leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"I love you" he said, kissing her again. "And I love you" she responded, hugging him and enjoying the feel of being wrapped in his arms.
A short time later, the fireplace in the living room roared to life and out stumbled Lupin. After greeting him they all sat down to dinner and talked about anything and everything, enjoying each others company. After cleaning up the dishes they all went back into the living room and sat lounging. The fire was lit, Christmas carols were playing in the background and they all had mugs of hot chocolate. They all sat around in the comfortable silence, enjoying the music and relaxing. They all retired for the night, but Harry couldn't quit fall asleep. He was actually excited to be able to experience a real Christmas morning, the first one together with Hermione. His first real family Christmas, hopefully one of many.