Surprise, Surprise

The last six months of Harry and Hermione's lives had been the best either of them had ever experienced. Their wedding went off without a hitch, beautiful and intimate, with only a few of their most valued friends and family. The ceremony had been held at Hogwarts shortly after their graduation. The honeymoon was spectacular, to say the least. Harry had arranged for them to spend a month in Rome, the Caribbean, and the United States. Hermione had particularly enjoyed the trip to the States, where they stayed in New York, Los Angeles, and went on a road trip across the country. One of her favorite memories was when they traveled through a city in South Carolina called Florence. The rental car had broken down and they were stranded there for a few days. What seemed to be hopeless situation turned into a wonderful time when they met and American witch named Ashly; they stayed in her home the duration of their trip and had an exquisite time indeed.

Now they were home in their country house on the outskirts of London which they shared with Ron and his girlfriend Annie. They were all incredibly happy which was good considering that Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not really know how to live without each other. Annie was a wonderful addition, and was a very skilled witch, almost rivaling Hermione, almost. Upon their arrival home, Harry and Hermione had both gone back to their jobs, both having professorships at Hogwarts. Harry was naturally the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the best in Hogwarts history, and had been so for almost 2 years. Hermione had taken over Professor McGonagall's position as the Transfiguration professor. Minerva had taken over the Headmistress position when Albus Dumbledore retired after Voldemort's defeat.

After a particularly long day at work, Harry and Hermione returned home, opening the door to the enticing smell of Annie's cooking. They both sat their bags inside the door, and hung their cloaks on the coat hook beside the foyer inn table.

“Annie that smells marvelous, I can't wait to eat!” Hermione called into the kitchen. She turned to Harry, who was looking very tired and hugged him long and hard. He smelled like the faint remnants of soap and a slight scent of cologne lingered on his robes.

“Long day for you too?” She asked softly, her head cradled into his chest as he held her tightly.

“Incredibly. We started the Curses today. There are some exceptionally gifted kids in there, but there are also some who I hope never have to defend themselves against Dark Magic.”

“Ah, well you are an excellent teacher, dear; I don't doubt that you will have them all in tip top shape by end of term.” She smiled, looking into Harry's green eyes. They sparkled with a look that he only ever gave her. It was his love and appreciation of her that she saw in those eyes daily, but not once did she ever not enjoy seeing it there. He bent down and kissed her, gently at first, then more forcefully. It was almost needy, but Hermione was familiar with that kiss by now. They broke apart and she tugged on his tie, a mischievous look in her brown eyes.

“Say, Mr. Potter, we have some time before dinner, what say we make good use of it?”

Harry grinned widely, nodding his head in agreement.

“I declare, Mrs. Potter that is the best idea that I have heard all day.” Hermione pecked him quickly on the cheek and turned, sprinting up the stairs. When she got to the top, Harry was still on the bottom landing looking up at her, smiling.

“Why the delay? Are you coming up today?” she was breathing slightly heavy from her dash up the stairs.

“Oh, I'll be right up, I am just thinking of all the things I am going to do to you.”

“Well you better hurry up. We should work up our appetites for supper.”

With that Harry was up the stairs in three bounds, and downstairs, the slamming of the door could be heard.

Hermione was already half naked as Harry slammed the door behind him. He quickly tore off his tie, shoes, shirt and pants, leaving him in nothing more than his boxers and glasses. Hermione looked up at him from the bed in her underwear, a seductive smile on her face. She beckoned him come with a quick motion of her index finger, and before she knew it, he was on top of her on the soft king size bed.

At first, they weren't really sure how the rest of the clothes came off, the only important part was that there were no more physical obstacles standing between them. Harry kissed Hermione ferociously, pinning her to the bed. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, working his way down to her breast. She arched her back as he licked his way back up to her open mouth where he kissed her so forcefully it seemed as though he were trying to swallow her face. She kissed him back, equally as rough, and grabbed his shoulders, flipping him over onto his back. She stared at him for a second, both of them breathing heavily, and with one swift motion she was on top of him. The feeling of him inside of her never ceased to amaze Hermione. They had sex regularly, practically daily, but it was never quite the same twice. The physical pleasure she received from him was great, but what amazed her even still was the spiritual pleasure that came from their love making. They had an intense, unbreakable bond that showed itself most potently when they were having sex.

Hermione arched her back a little and as she began forcefully rotating her hips, a moan of pleasure escaped Harry's lips. As much as she loved everything they did together, she most loved hearing him moan and say her name. It brought a sense of control to her; she felt she could please him in every way possible. She continued to gyrate and Harry moved to meet her. Soon they were moving in rhythm together, never missing a beat. Their moans and cries filled the large room, and it seemed as though their pleasure would never end.

Downstairs, Ron entered the kitchen laughing. Harry and Hermione's screams had penetrated almost the entire house. He walked over to Annie, who was at the stove stirring some kind of sauce. She turned to him grinning.

“I suppose we should delay dinner for a while.”

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Harry woke extra early, showered and dressed and was on his way to Hogwarts by six a.m. After the escape of Barty Crouch Jr. from Azkaban in Harry's fourth year, the Ministry had instituted a routine prisoner check twice a month. The checks were intended to screen all prisoners and make sure that they were, in fact, who they were supposed to be. After Voldemort's defeat, the Ministry was taking ever precaution to prevent such a disastrous time from ever happening again. Harry had done the check twice before and absolutely hated it. Azkaban was no summer vacation home, and every time he went, he thought about how Sirius had been imprisoned for twelve years in the horrid place.

As Harry arrived at the castle, he was greeted by Remus Lupin. Lupin had been reinstated as a teacher after the fall of Voldemort. Most people were willing to look past him being a werewolf, considering that he'd helped bring down the Darkest Wizard in history. Harry and Lupin were scheduled to do checks together so after they arranged everything they needed, the two set off for what would undoubtedly be a grueling task.

***

Hermione woke up at about eight a.m. feeling incredibly nauseas. She sat up in bed, her feet dangling over the edge, willing her stomach to settle down. After a few moments of deep breathing she stood up and ran to the bathroom. She befriended the toilet for what seemed like a good ten minutes before she was finally able to stand up without blowing chunks. Looking around the bathroom, she suddenly froze. It was April 10, her “hell week” as Harry so affectionately put it. Yet she had not started the day before like she should have. Overcome by nausea once more, Hermione vomited a few more times and slowly made her way back to the bed. She sat, thinking for a long time. Finally she reached over to the telephone on the bedside table and picked up the receiver. She dialed a number and waited for someone to answer on the other end. A chipper female voice took the call.

“Dr. Rose's office, this is Linda, how may I help you?”

“Uh, yes. This is Hermione Gran-uh, Potter. I need to make an appointment with Dr. Rose as soon as possible please. Today if he has room.” Hermione held her breath, hoping for an appointment soon.

“Alright Mrs. Potter, Dr. Rose has an opening at eleven a.m. Can you make it?” The chipperness in Linda's voice was making Hermione nauseous again.

“Yes, that is quite fine. Thank you.” She hung up the receiver and lay back gently onto the soft pillows.

My, my, Hermione. It seems like it will be quite an eventful day. You probably only have a little stomach bug. I am sure it's nothing to worry about. She paused her thoughts for a moment. Silly git. If it is nothing more than a stomach virus, why did you call your gynecologist?

Hermione always hated going to doctors of any sort. The offices always smelled so sterile and the white washed walls were so boring and dull she could hardly stand it. The waiting room of Dr. Rose's office was small but not too crowded. She sat in a chair reading a disguised copy of Witch Weekly. To muggles it would appear that she was reading an issue of Better Homes and Garden. A door to her left opened and a short lady wearing bright pink scrubs walked out with a chart in her hands. She smiled brightly in Hermione's direction.

“Mrs. Potter? Dr. Rose is ready to see you now.”

Hermione put the magazine into her purse and followed the woman down a white hall and into an examination room on the right side. She sat her purse in one of the chairs and walked over to the patient chair. The woman handed her an examination gown and some paper booties for her feet.

“You can change into the gown here; I'll lock the door on my way out so just crack it when you are done dressing. Dr. Rose will be with you momentarily!” She smiled at Hermione and left the room, locking the door as she said she would. Hermione sat the dressing gown onto the chair and slipped off her tee shirt, skirt, bra and panties. She put on the paper gown as well as the booties, and opened the door just a crack. No sooner than when she sat down onto the patient chair, did Dr. Rose come in. He was a tall man of about forty. His hair was black with specks of grey in it which added character to his handsome face and muscular build. He flashed a toothy smile and looked at Hermione over his frameless glasses. Hermione had known Dr. Rose for a few years as her doctor, but before that she had a brief stint with him before she realized that she and Harry were destined for each other.

“Hello Hermione, it's nice to see you again. I see that on your charts your last name has changed.” He smiled slightly as he looked at her.

“Yes, I actually got married about six months ago. You remember Harry?” She returned his smile

“Oh of course, such a delightful man! Well, I certainly am glad that you two finally got married, I was wondering how long it would take! So, shall we get this over with? Tell me what's wrong and I shall do my best to fix it.” He flipped through his charts, finding a place to make notes.

“Well, I woke up this morning feeling extremely nauseous. I was sick several times. Also, I was supposed to start my period yesterday but it hasn't come yet.” She looked at him nervously waiting for his diagnosis. He stared at the chart for a moment then looked up at her.

“Ok, well lets go down to the ultrasound room and see what we can make of it.” He left the room, Hermione trailing on his heels to a room further down the hall. They went in and Dr. Rose motioned for her to lie down on the chair in the middle of the room. He went to a closet and removed a large white blanket and handed it to Hermione.

“Put this over your lower legs and abdomen, and adjust your gown to the top of your abdomen, just below your breasts.” She took the blanket and did as he said, leaving her midsection free to be poked and prodded. Dr. Rose turned his back to her and turned on a rather large machine with a screen. It whirred and whistled and soon the screen was filled with a blank grey screen. He reached over into a drawer and removed a tube of some sort and turned back to Hermione.

“Ok, Hermione, this is a special type of petroleum jelly. I am going to put some of it onto your stomach to better help the ultrasound reading. It is going to be cold at first, so don't be alarmed.” He squeezed a quarter size amount of the gel onto her stomach and the chill of it tingled her insides. He removed a thick plastic wand shaped object and pressed a button on its side. He looked at her over his glasses.

“Ready? This won't hurt at all. At least it shouldn't” He giggled gently and Hermione omitted a nervous laugh. He put the object onto her stomach and began moving it around slowly. As he did so, the image on the screen changed from blank to something small, pulsing and moving ever so slowly. Hermione stared at the screen, eyes wide in amazement. Stomach viruses did not look like that. Dr. Rose stopped the monitor in a spot where the pulsation was most regular and looked at Hermione, a wide smile on his face.

“Hermione, as an expert who gives expert opinions based on expert fact, I would say that you have here, a baby.”

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Author's Note: As per your requests, here is Chapter 3. I know that this fic is really corny, but thanks for reading anyways….continue on!

It had been an extraordinarily long day and all Harry wanted to do was to go home to Hermione and relax. After his short stay in the facilities of Azkaban where he had done routine prisoner checks, Harry had returned to Howgwarts to give Minerva the results. He walked briskly down the path from Howarts to Hogsmeade Village where he could apparate home. Sometimes the impenetrableness of Hogwarts was a hassle, what with not being able to apparate onto or off of the grounds. He finally reached the village and immediately apparated home. He noticed Ron's car was gone which meant that he and Annie must have gone out for the evening. Hopefully Hermione had made something for dinner, he was famished.

The front door was unlocked and Harry let himself in, setting down his briefcase and hanging his travel cloak on the hook beside the mirror. The house seemed strangely empty, but soft sighs from the living room indicated to him that Hermione must be home. He stood in the door way of the living room, and saw Hermione curled into a ball on the couch, sobbing softly. Harry went to her quickly, kneeling down beside the couch.

“Hey sweetie, what's the matter? Are you alright?” He stroked Hermione's hair gently in an attempt to get her to look at him. When she finally lifted her head, she was a sight indeed. Her face was flushed red and her eyes were obviously swollen from crying. A weight dropped in Harry's stomach as the possibilities of all that could have happened raced through his mind. He took her hand and helped her sit upright on the sofa and sat down close beside her, cradling her weak body in his arms.

“Shhh, baby, it's alright. What's happened…?” He held her shoulders tightly as she continued to sob quietly. Hermione's first attempt at words was raspy and barely above a whisper.

“I went to the doctor today Harry. I…woke up this morning very sick and got scared.” She paused to blow her nose and the weight in Harry's stomach seemed to sink lower. “I saw Dr. Rose and he did an ultrasound on me.” She sat up and looked into his eyes, but the look on her face surprised him. Instead of being twisted in agony, Hermione's face was covered, ear to ear, with a large smile. Harry was so confused, but he pressed her for more information.

“What did he say?” The weight dropping deeper and deeper as he waited for her answer. Surely it couldn't be that bad, she was smiling after all. But maybe the smile was only to try and convince him that whatever it was, was not as bad as he thought. Hermione sniffled once and planted Harry with a wet, sloppy kiss.

“Hermione, what…”

“I'm pregnant.” She beamed at him; he'd never seen her smile so largely before.

“Wha…uh…huh...I…WHAT?” He stammered, trying to understand what his wife had just told him.

Hermione smiled even larger and kissed him again.

“We're having a baby Harry. A real baby. You and me, our very own child.” She laughed a loud, her joy filling the empty room around them.

Harry was stunned. He hardly knew what to say to her. He could not remember a time in his life when he had ever been so happy, yet so unable to communicate it. All he could do was hug Hermione as tightly as his arms would allow. Then all at once, all the emotions he was feeling poured out of him in heaving sobs. He cried into her hair, her body held tightly against him. Harry spoke through his tears.

“I don't believe it. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love you anymore…you tell me that you are giving me the greatest gift that any man could ever ask for, a child. But more than a child.” He looked into Hermione's eyes, “A real living breathing manifestation of our love. Hermione, I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you…” She buried her head back into his chest and they cried together, unable to contain their overwhelming joy.

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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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Author Note: Well this is it folks. The end. Finite. I thank you all so very much for reading this…it means a lot. I hoe that you will find this a suitable ending and for those of you who wanted to know whether it was a boy or girl, your question is answered. Thanks again, and perhaps I will add more later, but for now this is it.

**

Right after they arrived at St. Mungo's, Harry called Ron and Annie who rushed to the hospital to be with them. Harry was suited up to go into the delivery room with a hysteric Hermione. By the time they got her on the table, she was having extreme contractions and was hurling the worst insults she was capable of in Harry's direction. He stood by her bedside, trying to help with the breathing, but she would not have it.

“HOW DARE YOU!!! HOW CAN YOU EVEN LOOK AT ME? THIS IS YOUR FAULT HARRY, YOU BASTARD!” she shrieked between contractions. Harry kept a close distance because he knew that she would eventually need him, want him, beside her. “YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH ME AGAIN! I WILL NEVER EVER SLEEP WITH YOU EVER AGAIN HARRY POTTER!! AHHHHHHHHHH” She cried in pain and frustration. Hermione was sweating from head to toe, knees parted with her feet in the stirrups, swearing at the top of her lungs.

“OH MY GOD! HARRY I HATE YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE A HATEFUL BASTARD FOR DOING THIS TO ME! DAMN YOU HARRY! DAMN YOU AND YOUR MANHOOD!” With this last insult came the worst contraction and the doctor looked at Harry mouthing `It's time.' Harry went to Hermione's side and took her hand. She looked at him through her pain and tears.

“Harry, I'm sorry, I love you. Please don't leave me. I need you...AHHHHHHHHH” Hermione gave a great push and screamed again in agony. The doctor was in front of her now, repeating push, push.

“Ok Hermione, we are almost there. Just one more. Push as hard as you can.” The doctor looked at Harry with a slight look of concern. Harry turned to Hermione and whispered in her ear.

“I love you Hermione, more than my own life more than this world. Push a little harder if you can, help our baby come meet us.” Hermione squeezed his hand with a strength he didn't know she was capable of, and with one last agonizing push accompanied by the loudest scream he'd ever heard, the two of them heard over everything else the voice of their child.

Ron and Annie had been waiting in the waiting area for Harry. When he finally came out, he looked tired and it was quite obvious that he had been crying. Ron stood and hugged Harry, followed by a great hug from Annie. Ron looked at Harry with a tear in his eye.

“Congratulations mate. Is it a boy or girl? No, wait. Don't tell me yet. I want it to be a surprise.” Ron grinned from ear to ear as Annie cried silently beside him, so happy for the Golden Pair. Harry slapped Ron on the back and hugged Annie once more then headed back into the room where Hermione was.

She was propped up on a hoard of pillows holding their baby. Harry stopped at the doorway and watched the two of them; they looked like angels sent from Heaven. He sniffed and Hermione looked up, smiling so hard it seemed like her face should hurt terribly. Harry approached the bed and she scooted over to allow him a seat. He looked into the eyes of his wife and child. They were so beautiful. He spoke softly.

“What name have we decided on?”

Hermione thought silently for a moment then answered.

“I think we should name her Lana Blythe. What do you think?”

“I believe that is the perfect name for Harry and Hermione Potter's first born daughter.” They kissed softly and Harry looked into the eyes of his daughter. They were bright green like his and on top of her head was a small puff of brown hair. He could tell already that she would have Hermione's nose and lips but would have his ears. She was beautiful. They were the sight of perfection, the three of them sitting together, Mother, Father and Baby Potter. Harry made a silent resolution to his daughter, one only he and she would know.

Lana, I swear by my life that I will never let anything happen to you and I will never leave you. Ever.

Harry stared into his daughter's eyes and could have sworn that he saw her smile.

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