AN: So a couple of questions came up and since I already had this chapter written I figured I'd post it.
I Knew That Was Coming
One month later...
"Well Miss. Granger," the doctor said stepping back into her office after gathering the results of the tests she had preformed. "I think I've solved the riddle of your sickness."
"And?" Hermione said nervously.
"You're one month pregnant." Hermione nodded her head solemnly, her worst fears confirmed. She and Harry hadn't been careful - forget careful they had been stupid. They hadn't even thought of using protection. She knew she was pregnant, she was two weeks late on her period and couldn't stop feeling nauseous.
"Are you alright Miss. Granger?"
"I'm alright, I knew that was coming."
"But you're not happy about it."
"I'm not not happy about it. It's just a complicated situation. I've only just left school, I haven't started work yet."
"And the father?"
"Oh the father will be fine about it, once I tell him."
"You two aren't..."
"Involved? No, but he's a friend."
"Well that's good news." Hermione nodded, it was good news and she knew it was true. Harry wouldn't be upset at her or deny that he was the father. He might be a little upset, but Hermione herself was a little upset so she wouldn't hold that against him. The doctor gave Hermione prenatal medication to take to help her baby grow strong and had her make an appointment for August.
Instead of going home after her appointment Hermione went to Harry's house. He had told her she could come over whenever anything happened and this was definitely something.
"Harry!" She called, "Harry, are you here?" Hermione called as she opened the door to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. No answer came. Hermione wandered upstairs and into the sitting room.
This house, which had once belonged to Harry's godfather, had changed a great deal in the past three years. Especially since Harry took up permanent residency just after graduation. This house had once felt dark and unwelcoming. Now it was bright and full of life. It was a fitting tribute to Sirius' memory, to see his family home turned into a place he would actually have wanted to live in, a happy place for Harry. Everything had been given a fresh coat of paint, the shrieking portraits had finally been removed from the walls, the heads of the old family house elves had been taken down (and thrown out), and everything that had the feeling of Dark Magic had finally been purged. The only thing that remained was the Black family tree; Harry had repaired it and kept it as a memory of Sirius (despite the fact that Sirius had hated it).
Hermione was alone for twenty minutes before Harry got back. She could hear him downstairs making his way up.
"Harry?" She called.
"Hermione?" He called back sounding very confused.
"Yeah it's me," Hermione said meeting him out on the landing. Harry dropped his broomstick and ran across the landing to hug her. "There was something I wanted to tell you."
"It's so great to see you." They hadn't seen each other since graduation. They had talked nearly every other night, but that wasn't the same as seeing each other.
"Ew Harry you're all sweaty." Hermione said pushing him away.
"Oh sorry - I've only just got back."
"From where?"
"That's right I didn't tell you. I had tryouts with Puddlemere United today."
"So you decide to try going pro after all?"
"Yeah well the really amazing bit is - I got picked. And not even for the reserves, for the actual team. Wood's being moved up as well, we'll be playing together again, which will be great since he's a great player, but won't be mad because he wont be captain." Harry was talking about a mile a minute and his sentences only just made sense but Hermione understood him none the less.
"That's amazing Harry, that will be so great for you." Hermione said forgetting he was gross and sweaty and locking him into a tight hug.
"Isn't it - I mean I know I said I always wanted to be an Auror and I still do want to be one someday, but I'll do this for a few seasons and have a lot of fun while I still can."
"That's great Harry."
"So hey what did you want to tell me?"
"Oh, um, I forgot - it'll come to me later. It wasn't anything really important I was just using it as an excuse to see you."
"You never need an excuse Hermione." Harry said.
"I think we should celebrate." Hermione said trying to change the subject.
"I think so too."
"Tell you what - you go take a shower, 'cause you stink, and I'll get Ginny, Ron, Fred and George. The six of us will go out to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron in a couple hours, sound good?"
"Sounds great." Harry said, "hey and work on remembering what you we're going to tell me, I'm sure if it was coming from you it was very important."
"Yeah I'll work on that." Hermione said smiling after him as Harry headed up the stairs and disappeared. "What the hell am I going to do?" Hermione said through her smile. She couldn't tell him now, he was so happy, he had gotten the job of his dreams and now he was going to start this amazing life - she couldn't tell him, she couldn't take that life away.
She needed to talk to Ginny, her best girlfriend, the only other person who knew about she and Harry's one night together. Hermione Apparated to her apartment in muggle Londen which she was sharing with Ginny until Ginny went back to school in the fall. She found Ginny on the couch completely engrossed in a book.
"Ginny I need to talk to you."
"Hermione!" Ginny cried in surprise, she was so involved in her book she hadn't heard Hermione Apparate.
"I'm sorry Ginny, but I really need to talk to you now."
"What's going on?"
"Well we're meeting Harry in two hours, and I still have to go get you're brothers."
"Wait - we're meeting Harry in two hours? Since when?"
"Since two minutes ago. He's been picked for the Puddlemere United Quidditch team and I told him we'd all go out to dinner to celebrate."
"That's amazing!"
"I know, but that's not what I need to talk to you about."
"Well then start talking."
"I'm pregnant."
"What!?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide in surprise. Hermione didn't answer she just started crying. "Oh Hermione it's going to be alright." Ginny said jumping up and hugging her friend. "Harry didn't get upset did he?"
"No."
"Well that's good."
"He didn't get mad, because I didn't tell him. I couldn't tell him."
"Hermione!"
"I know, but he's so happy and I can't burden him with this."
"Harry would want to know."
"I know that, but I can't tell him. That night, before we were together, he was talking about his life and basically he thought it was over. Thought he had fulfilled his destiny and had no idea where his life could go from there. I can't burden him with this - not now, not when he's not happy."
"Listened Hermione don't make this decision now, give it sometime. This is one of those big decisions that needs thinking over."
"Okay," Hermione said wiping the tears from her cheeks. "We should probably get going though; we still have to go to Diagon Alley."
"Alright Hermione, you going to drive us there?"
"I though I would. Oh I look like a complete mess. Let me just go freshen up, I don't want your brothers to see I've been crying."
Twenty minutes later Hermione was parking in front of the Leaky Cauldron. She and Ginny made their way through the pub to the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. It took them no time at all to let the boys now about the meeting so they spent the rest of the time before dinner wondering around the many shops. As ten minutes to five they bumped into Ron, Fred, and George and the five of them arrived at the pub together.
Harry was already there when they arrived and the six of them got a private booth. Everyone congratulated Harry and ordered special celebratory drinks. Ginny of course couldn't have one since she was under-aged and Hermione turned down the offer since she shouldn't be drinking in her condition (not that she actually said that aloud).
They talked, laughed, and relived some of Harry's greatest Quidditch moments until half past eight when Hermione insisted she needed to take Ginny home. Ginny got very upset about being treated like a child, but Hermione merely reminded her that she technically was the child at the table. Ginny had looked like she greatly wanted to curse Hermione, but agreed to leave none the less.
When they got home Hermione left Ginny to her book in the living room and walked quietly to her room. She turned on her stereo on to some instrumental music and lay down on her bed. What a complete mess she was in. She didn't regret her choice to be with Harry, she just regretted not thinking about it before doing it.
"How are you holding up?" Hermione looked back to find Ginny walking into the room with a cup of tea in her hand. "Here I though you might like this." Ginny said helping Hermione sit up and handing her the tea.
"Thanks and I'm holding up alright I guess considering." She said taking a drink.
"Hermione you have to tell him."
"I know Ginny but I can't, don't you understand that I can't?"
"No Hermione I don't understand."
"Harry has had life so hard; I don't want to burden him with this. Especially not now when he's so happy."
"No you'd rather just put it all on yourself."
"If that's what I have to do then that's what I'm going to do."
"So your just going to avoid Harry until he's unhappy or for the rest of your lives?"
"Ginny, this is my decision."
"I know that, but I'm your friend and I don't want you making things harder for you then they have to be."
"Listen I've thought about this, I'm going to leave - I'll go to America and hid out there for a while. Harry won't have time to come that far to visit me."
"You're going to go to a foreign country to have a baby. You'll be completely alone."
"I'll be alright."
"Why do you have to be so dame self-sacrificing? Hermione this doesn't have to be so hard."
"Ginny this is what I have to do."
"Alright Hermione, alright." Ginny said seeing she wasn't going to win this argument. "So what exactly are you going to do?"
*~*~*
"I can't believe you're leaving." Harry said hugging Hermione goodbye. They were just outside Heathrow airport saying their last goodbyes before Hermione left for America, indefinitely. Hermione had said goodbye to everyone else the day before at a farewell party. Harry had volunteered to drive her to the airport so he could say goodbye as close to her actual leaving as possible.
"Oh you know me Harry, foreign wizards fascinate me. This will be a great opportunity for me to study the American wizarding community up close." That was the excuse she and Ginny had come up with for why Hermione was leaving.
"I know, but I'll miss you."
"I promise I'll call you in about a week once I get settled."
"Where are you going again?"
"I'm starting in Salem and working my way west."
"Life isn't going to be the same without you so close Hermione."
"I know how you feel Harry."
"You should probably get going, doesn't you're plane leave soon." Harry said checking his watch nervously. Hermione looked down at her own watch.
"Yeah I should. Goodbye Harry."
"Goodbye Hermione." Harry watched her walk to the door, out of his life. He wanted to stop her, beg her to stay, but she had picked the life she had wanted and he didn't want to stop her.
AN: It's sad really, they both have something to say, but neither of them have the nerve to say what they are thinking. Hopefully they'll get over that soon.
HPFAN1 - I'm really glad you like it - to answer your questions the story is planned to have 34 chapters, but that could change and as for the pace I wouldn't consider it face paced, but I'm the writer I kind of see things with a weird perspective. spaz141 - well you got it in one - the sex is supposed to seem clinical. Hermione's doing this for Harry `cause she's his friend not because either of them feel those feelings for each other…yet *winkwink* - so yeah it was supposed to sound like that fenriswolf - Hermione's first was Krum, the two of them dated for two years, slept together a few times, but in the end it didn't work out between them because of distance and difference of experiences as far as background goes that's really what the story is about so I didn't even think about adding it, sorry - I hope you like the story as it develops despite it's faults woefulwabbit - like I told the last reviewer Hermione's first was Krum and the lack of emotion was intended because neither of them were getting into the emotional part of it - they were both trying to stay detached `cause well it wasn't about them loving each other, if that makes any sense
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