Author Note: Ok, I know that it may seem like I skipped a lot, but I honestly had to make this kind of short. My intention for this story was not to include every month of Hermione's pregnancy. I felt that it would be repetitive and boring because I only have so much imagination. So with this chapter I just skipped to the important part. Oh, and if you're wondering why Ron and his girlfriend haven't been mentioned since chapter one, it's because I forgot about them. Never fear though, they make an appearance in the next (and last) chapter. Thanks for reading!! Cheerio!
The months during Hermione's pregnancy were, trying, to say the least. Harry had for many years been the brunt of her natural mood swings, but her present swings were almost frightening. He recalled one day about half way into her sixth month when she had completely lost it.
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Harry walked in the door, newly arriving from work. He set his things down and glanced at his watch. Oh no. Oh dear God. Please don't let her be here. His watch said 6:05, five minutes later than when he normally arrived. He had been stopped in his office by a student, which was what caused the slight delay in his arrival. No sooner had he wished Hermione not be home, did she come screaming from the living room.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK HARRY! DO YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?" She stood in front of him with her hands on her pregnancy-widened hips, mouth slightly open from her tirade. Harry looked at her sympathetically.
"Sorry, dear. I was stopped by a student. Didn't mean to worry you." Even though he was only five minutes late, Harry had learned not to try and fight her, she only got angrier. Hermione's face was now a slight shade of read, her cheeks now wet from the tears she was crying.
"I thought you were dead….how could I live. Our child could have no father. I thought something happened." She choked out between sobs. Harry moved to hug her but she jumped back from him, a look of intense anger now on her face.
"NO! You are NOT allowed to TOUCH me! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!! LOOK AT ME! I'M A WHALE!! Ohhhhhh God, I'm HIDEOUS and it's ALL YOUR FAULT HARRY!" Harry stepped back, scowling at her hysterics, but not at all surprised to hear these insults. She spewed such blame on him everyday.
"You are absolutely right dear. It is entirely my fault. I am so very sorry that I found you incredibly irresistible, made mad passionate love to you and got you pregnant. It had nothing to do with you at all. I should be completely ashamed of myself for finding my wife terribly sexy. I should be exiled." He feigned a guilty, remorseful expression but could not keep the hint of a grin off of his face.
Hermione glared at him with a look that could make a mass murderer cower where he stood.
"Don't you dare Harry James Potter. You're right, it IS your fault. You SHOULD be ashamed! Look at what you've turned me into; I am a great whale because of your lustful desires!" She looked very angry, although he knew she wasn't really; it was just the hormones talking.
"Hermione, I was NOT the only one to participate in those `lustful' desires, not in that instant or any others that you and I have shared. If you hated it so much, I won't ever touch you again. I am going to make myself dinner." Harry went to the kitchen leaving Hermione gaping in his wake.
That had been an interesting evening. After Hermione had ranted about never wanting Harry to touch her again, when it was time for bed, she had snuggled as tightly as possible to him.
She was now nearing the end of her eighth month, and worse than ever with her mood swings. She was so awful to him that he sometimes wondered if she was not indeed possessed. Hermione was curled up in the living room reading a book she had already read a thousand times before. Harry entered the living room with a hot mug of tea, and his own book.
"Made you some tea sweetie. It will help settle your stomach." He handed her the mug, and kissed her softly, bumping his face on her reading glasses. He took a chair across from her and turned to the dog-eared page he was last reading. After a few moments, he noticed that Hermione was staring at him, which meant she wanted to talk. He closed the book and removed his own glasses as a sign that he was ready to listen. Hermione spoke first.
"I'm sorry that I have been such a beast to you. I really do hope that you don't take it to heart. I just don't know what gets into me sometimes. I feel like a loose cannon. I do love you, so very much. I hope you know that." Her eyes looked a little watery.
"I know you do, because I also know that you are very aware of how much I love you. I understand it's just the hormones and I don't really take any of it seriously. I've gotten used to the verbal abuse." He smirked but noticed that she was now crying silently. He got up to sit beside her on the couch. "Please don't cry Herm, I was only kidding. I'm sorry." She cried even harder still, showing his failure to comfort her.
"No….it's not that. I just keep thinking about the baby. It's our baby, a real baby. It's ours, yours and mine. I couldn't be happier, but…" She sobbed trailing off. She wiped her nose on his sleeve and looked desperately into his eyes. "I'm scared," she whispered, "that I won't be a good mother. What if I can't be as good to our baby as my mother was to me. What if I can't be the kind of mother that you want me to be?"
Harry griped her by the shoulders and looked at her, an astonished expression on his tired face.
"Hermione, you are going to be the best mother in the world. Our child is going to love you so much he'll hardly be able to stand it. And you will love him so much that I may have a run for my money. Don't worry; you will be wonderful, I swear to it. It will be hard, sure, but we'll get through it, all three of us. We will be a perfectly happy family, you'll see." He thought this would reassure her, but she only cried harder, almost screaming now. "Hermione what is it. Please stop crying." She was doubled over now, her head between her knees.
"I…can't…baby…"
"yes, dear, baby-" Harry was cut off by Hermione screaming more loudly than he had ever heard before.
"baby…NOW!" It took a moment for Harry to process her words. Baby, now. Oh my God, he thought, the baby is coming…NOW! He jumped up and carried Hermione to the car, got in and sped of towards St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
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