AN: So we're there - well almost - Harry finds out in the next chapter, but I'm posting that too and the one after as a matter of fact. The only reason this next part takes 3 chapter is because it switches perspectives - starts as Hermione, goes to Harry, goes back to Hermione - and it's just eaiser to brake it up by chapter so, yeah.
FYI: The chapter title refers to Ron's reaction not Harry's - just letting you know so that you aren't surprised
Chapter 7: Well, That's A Surprise
The week at Ginny's house passed very quickly, too quickly for Hermione's sense of ease. She didn't know why she was so nervous - well she did; she was nervous about seeing Harry again, which was crazy because it was only Harry.
On Sunday, while getting ready to see "only Harry" again, it took her thirty minutes just to pick her outfit. She was trying too hard she decided and in the end she dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a red and gold striped sweater that read 'Potter For President' across the back. It was a sweater she hadn't worn since seventh year and it was probably too tight across the chest, but she liked the look of it.
At dusk, just before she and Daniel were due to leave for their weekend alone, Ginny drove Hermione and the children to a portkey two miles from her house, which Harry had had set up especially for Hermione and "her friends". Ginny wished Hermione the best of luck as she got the children out of the car. Hermione smiled weakly, she was so nervous that she almost got back in the car and asked Ginny to take her home. But Ginny, sensing Hermione's doubt, gave her a few encouraging words and they were enough to get Hermione going in the right direction. She had to do it, she had to tell him Hermione convinced herself as she and the children took an old newspaper to the location of the stadium. There was no turning back now.
The tickets were waiting for them at the portkey check point and the seats Harry had gotten for them were amazing. Up in the top box. The stadium was fairly empty when they got there, but that worked for Hermione, no one would stare at her children and wonder about their resemblance to Harry if they didn't see them.
"Are you nervous Mum?" Lily asked moving from her seat to sit in her mother's lap.
"A little, I guess," Hermione said brushing Lily's hair back from her forehead and kissing her softly, "it's just been so long - I just have no idea how any of this is going to go."
"Do you love him?"
"In a way, I suppose I do. He was one of my only friends at school and I guess I loved him the way all real friends love each other."
"When's the match going to start?" James asked impatiently scanning the stadium with the Omnioculars Hermione had bought him.
"Not for a little while James."
"Why are we here so early then?"
"Because we are." Lilly snapped at him.
"Be nice you two."
"Hermione?!" A male voice asked from the stairs that led to the top box. Hermione turned to see Ron Weasley standing there gapping at her.
"Ron!" Hermione said lifting Lily from her lap and standing up. "Oh it's so great to see you." She said walking over to him and hugging him tight.
"It's great to see you too." Ron said slightly unsure of what was going on.
"James, Lily, this is Ron Weasley, Ginny's older brother. Ron these are my children James and Lily."
"Your what?!"
"Her children." James said impatiently turning away from Ron.
"Ignore him, he has an attitude with everyone when he first meets them."
"Hermione?" Ron questioned looking from the twins to Hermione.
"You guys stay put," Hermione said to James and Lily, "I'm going to go talk to Ron for a couple of minutes. And I'll be just outside on the stairs so I'll know if you try anything." Hermione said taking Ron's hand and leading him out of the box.
"Hermione, those children look just like -" Ron whispered looking over her shoulder at the twins.
"That's because he's their father Ron."
"What do you mean he's their father - you two never dated?"
"You don't get pregnant by dating Ron."
"You mean you guys..."
"Only once; one night. It was just after he defeated Voldemort."
"So that's where you two went."
"Yeah."
"Harry never said anything to me about twins."
"That's because I didn't tell him, he doesn't know."
"You never told him?"
"No, that's why I left. I couldn't tell him. But I've come here today to tell him, the only problem is I have no idea how I'm going to get down there to talk to him. It's his last game; the Daily Prophet is bound to be hounding him."
"Yeah, they have been. The Ministry has set up security so that the press have to give him space. But you know I can get you down there past the security to talk to him after the game."
"Oh that's right, I'd forgotten you're just as famous as Harry when it comes to Quidditch."
"Well you've been away." Ron said quite embarrassed. He played Keeper for the Cuddly Cannons nearly as long as Harry had played for Puddlemere United and had been on the Cup team several times. "You know they asked me to play for the Cup again this year, but Luna didn't want me to."
"She's probably afraid that you'll be badly injured. Being pregnant her hormones have probably made her a little paranoid"
"Yeah that's what I figured. She's had a rough time these past few months; every time I had a match she start thinking I would get fatally wounded, so I gave in and said I wouldn't play."
"There's always next year."
"True."
"So you'll help me?"
"Of course - what are old friends for?"
"Old friends are the best friends."
"Hermione," Ron said after a slight pause in which Hermione had turned away from him and was looking at her children, a strange look in her eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Ron, what if Harry gets mad at me and tells me he wants nothing to do with them? What will I tell them? What if Harry tries to take them away from me? What if - what if..." But Ron never heard the next of Hermione's what if's because she broke down into tears. Ron didn't know what to do; he had never been terribly good in these situations. He did the only thing he could think of; he pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back supportively.
"It's alright Hermione, Harry won't try to take them away and he'll want to be a part of their lives. This is Harry we're talking about."
"I know, but I kept them from him and-and Ron I just don't know what is going to happen."
"No one knows what's going to happen - that's part of life, but Harry is your friend - he'll hear you out."
"Hey," Hermione said pulling out of the hug slightly and looking up at Ron. "When did you get so wise?"
"Luna - I've matured a lot over the past ten years and it's largely because of her."
"I'm glad you're so happy Ron."
"I really am, especially with the babies on the way. I can't wait to be a father. You know I think Harry's been a bit jealous of me lately - I think he wants to have a family of his own. You may be showing up today and giving him exactly what he's been looking for."
"I hope you're right."
"Mum, the game's starting!" James called excitedly. Hermione looked back at him; he was standing by the railing, his Omnioculars pressed to his eyes - scanning the sky.
"We should go back in there if we're going to watch the game." Ron said rubbing Hermione's back one last time and then letting her go. "I still can't believe he's retiring. He loves playing Quidditch more then I do and I can't imagine retiring." Ron said quietly continuing their conversation as they took their seats in the box.
"Well you've got your life organized, haven't you, I mean your married - about to become a father and Harry's still dating, doing the one night stand thing. Maybe he just wants to have more time to develop that other side of his life. And you know he's been playing since he was eleven - did a lot of other physical things while we were at school, what with saving the worlds and all - I think that might be catching up with them."
"Yeah he has been beaten about pretty badly over the years. I think the Beaters have been particularly hard on him because of who he is."
"Mummy look it's him." Lily said pointing to the sky. She had her own pair of Omnioculars to her eyes and was fallowing a blur as it zoomed across the stadium. Ron and Hermione looked up and recognized the blur instantly as Harry - having watched him play so often at Hogwarts neither one of them needed Omnioculars to know it was him.
"Yep that's him alright."
"He's been flying really well this year, better then normal even and for Harry that's saying something."
"Yeah it is. James sit down - you can zoom with those things you don't need to be standing so close to the rail."
"Alright."
"What's the big deal he isn't hurting anybody standing over there?" Ron asked quietly so the kids couldn't hear him.
"I know, but I don't want him getting wrapped up in the game, forgetting where he is, and falling forwards. James has the tendency to get over excited and I just don't want to risk it."
"Spoken like a true mother."
"Well that's what I am, isn't it? So do you think they'll win this year?"
"They could definitely pull it off. But Keller, that's the Keeper, has been kind of whish-washy lately - you know, not giving consistent performances. They should have asked Wood back - he was doing really great this season."
"He's still playing?!"
"Well he started when Harry started so he's only been playing for the League for ten years."
"That's a long time Ron, especially for a professional athlete and he's older then both you and Harry."
"I guess, but if you love the game playing for ten years it's not hard to do."
"Shouldn't Wood be retiring soon?"
"I don't think he'll stop until they make him or until he dies whichever comes first."
"So why didn't they ask him?"
"I think they thought that Keller would play better because he's younger - they're really kicking themselves now, but there isn't anything they can do."
"So if he's doing poorly how did they get to the Cup?"
"Harry and the Chasers - when Keller falls through they pick up the slack. The Chasers pull out all the stops to keep the score even and Harry keeps the other Seeker off the snitch until everything is set."
"How does he manage that?"
"Every Seeker in the League does that old trick of fallowing him around because they know they can't beat him if he gets a head start. Even Bowie, the Seeker for the Cannons, fallows him. I keep telling her it won't do her any good - she needs to see it before he does to have a chance."
"Mum I can't see him." Lily said crawling over into Hermione's lap again.
"Okay let me look." Hermione said taking the Omnioculars from Lily and scanning the sky. She and Ron had been so busy talking she had completely lost the flow of the game. She caught sight of him quickly and slowed down the play before handing the Omnioculars back to Lily.
"You're really good with them."
"Well I have had nine years of practice."
"Is it hard?"
"It what hard?"
"Raising children."
"It's very hard Ron. There lives are in your hands, but it is well worth it and you'll be great at it."
"You think so?"
"Yeah I do."
"Mum he's caught the snitch." James said excitedly before cheering at the top of his lungs.
"Already?" Hermione and Ron said together both looking towards the score board.
"So much for watching the game." Hermione muttered as the score board read England: 170 Ireland: 120 and then they heard the announcer.
"In the fastest ever World Cup catch retiring Seeker Harry Potter has successfully captured the snitch and won the Cup for England."
"You know, I bet he caught the snitch that fast so that he could get to seeing you." Ron joked between standing up and cheering for Harry.
"I doubt that."
"You'd be surprised." Ron muttered.
"What was that?" Hermione asked, she could see his mouth move, but she couldn't make out what he said.
"Nothing, nothing at all." Ron called over the roar of the crowed.
"Ronald Weasley, what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything." Hermione glared at him suspiciously, but soon got caught up in cheering along with everyone else. The Cup had been brought out and the teams were filing into the top box across the stadium from them. They cheered as loud as they could when the Minister of Magic handed Harry the Cup.
"Should we get going?" Hermione asked as team England made its way down through the stadium and to the locker rooms.
"No not yet, let's let the stadium empty out a bit - we'll give it twenty minutes."
"Okay." Only twenty minutes and she would see Harry again. Only twenty minutes and she'd finally tell Harry the secret that had kept her away all these years.
Beppo - I wouldn't either Jenna Kathleen - yeah, yeah, yeah - keep your shirt on I'm writing chapter 21 as fast as I can ginnymalfoy21 - the summary says by the end it will be Ginny and Draco, but Draco doesn't even come in till chapter 27 so there is a bit of a wait there, but by the end of the story Draco and Ginny will be together H/Hr=true - : ) spaz141 - I think that is the most I have ever learned from a review, well yeah there will be more angst to come, but sadly there will be no more Back to the Future references, but there will be other funny movie notes and I don't think Harry is easy on her, but you'll have to see what you think div - : ) sertad - neither actually - well you just have to wait and see Recooper1 - : ) Austenlover - you'll just have to wait and see wont you laila - : ) Mani12191 - : ) harrynmione - : ) HHRLVR - : ) lgsimian - : ) chica - : ) Tomlove01 - : ) Blueeyes - : ) LinNicole - so does that mean you like the story? : ) JayaMioneDurron - : ) Chancellor - well look to the next chapter and you'll see
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