Title: Nine Long Months
Author: a muggle named Caity
Ships: H/Hr, D/G*, R/L* (*Later chapters)
Rating: PG-13
Words: 2,778
Summary: Harry and Hermione are a happily married couple, but what would make them even happier would be a baby to share their life with. After many miscarriages, they finally conceive, but there's one problem… there's more then one! See the trials and tribulations Harry and Hermione will have to go through during this wild and crazy pregnancy. Inspired by the movies "A Half a Dozen Babies" and "Quints". Please R & R!!
Disclaimer: You know the drill: This is not mine, it is not yours, it is not Portkey.org's, neither any other fan fiction site's, it all belongs to the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling (even though she thinks we're delusional). So please don't sue (I don't have any money anyway)!
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Chapter One: Before
"Well, Mrs. Potter, I believe that a congratulations is in order!" The healer stated happily to Hermione.
"A congratulations? For what?" Hermione asked cautiously, a smile creeping onto her face.
"You're pregnant!" The healer announced excitedly.
At those words, her smile grew to almost the length of her face.
"I'm preg-pregnant? Again?" She asked softly.
"Yes, Mrs. Potter, I'm sure your husband will be thrilled, won't he?" He questioned her enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes, he most definitely will be!" She squealed excitingly, hopping off the examination table.
Hermione and her best friend of the past twelve years, who also happened to be her husband and the love of her life, Harry Potter, had been trying for the better part of three years to have children. It had been a dream of the both of them ever since they were children themselves. Six years previously, Harry had finally defeated the world known dark lord Voldemort and was finally able to make one of his biggest dreams come true; getting married to the woman he loved. But the having kids bit was a little more difficult as they had come to find out. Hermione had some conceiving problems and when ever she had gotten pregnant, she miscarried, and then other times, she simply didn't conceive at all. This had disheartened them so much that they had stopped using protection altogether, but still to no avail… until now.
"Now, remember to come back and see me in a month, I'll owl you the precise date. Now, take care," her healer kindly instructed her.
"Thank you so much Healer Zeller! I can't wait to tell Harry!" She quickly said good-bye and practically skipped out the door.
She quickly stepped into the lift that would take her from the newly added sixth floor of St. Mungos; the new Woman's Ward; Pregnancy complications, Delivery Room, Gynecology office, etc. To the floor down on the lowest level of the magical hospital. From there she would apparate home.
As the lift went down, Hermione started contemplating how she would tell Harry the exciting news. 'Oh! I'll surprise him with his favorite dinner! Yeah, he'll be SO excited when I tell him that I'm pregnant again.' As she continued thinking of a way to tell her husband of three years, the lift slowly came to a stop on the ground floor and she breezily walked out of it. Then with a loud CRACK, she apparated back to their modest home in Godric's Hollow.
* * *
Harry was beat. He had had another long day at work. He and his team of highly trained Aurors had been out yet again today on their desperate search for Lucius Malfoy. And it really pissed him off that every time they had almost had him; he slipped out between their fingers undetected. All he wanted to do was grab a sandwich and fall asleep on his and Hermione's soft comfortable bed.
As he apparated into their living room, he noticed that the lights in the dining room were dimmed. He slowly walked into the darkened room and noticed several candles; some floating weightlessly in midair, others on the table, and the rest on the shelves next to him. Looking at the site before him, a small smile came to his lips, but then faltered when he realized who wasn't in the room with him.
"Hermione?! Hermione are you here?" He called out loudly.
"Surprise!" She said softly from behind him.
He turned around to face her and took in the gorgeous site before him. There was Hermione; she was wearing a tight-fitting, silk, black, spaghetti-strapped dress that showed off her curves so well, that he wanted to devour her right there.
"Hey, you look really great tonight, but what's the occasion?" He asked suspiciously.
"Well, I just wanted to surprise you with a nice dinner and I also have some news for you," She told him.
"What's the news?" He asked casually, coming up to give her a hug and a kiss.
"Oh, never you mind right now, let's have dinner first," she told him playfully, returning his hug and kiss happily.
"O-K," he replied slowly, "well, what's for dinner?"
"Well… baby peas, baby corn, and baby back ribs*, do you notice a pattern going on here?" She asked hopefully.
"You made my favorites! Thanks Hermione!" He said, digging into his dinner.
Hermione rolled her eyes at how slow her husband actually was, but she still loved him for it. She was also just thankful that he was at least a little quicker on these type of things then her other best friend Ron. As she was about to go sit down and eat her own dinner, she heard Harry crank his neck and groan.
"What's wrong, love?" Hermione asked, walking back over to him.
"Oh, it's just my neck, back, and shoulders. Another long stressful day at work," He answered, trying to massage his shoulders.
"Would you like a rub down?" She asked sweetly.
Harry eyed her suspiciously, "Since when do you give me 'rub downs'?"
"Look, can't a wife just do something nice for her husband?" She asked him in return, looking down at him, trying to look innocent.
"No," he answered flatly.
"Now, what was this 'news' you were going to tell me?" He added.
"How about we go up to bed now?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"Hermione!" Harry said in a warning tone.
"Ok, ok, this is really big news and I really hope that you are happy about it, like I think you will be," she started.
"Go on," Harry urged her.
"Harry, I'm… I'm pregnant again," she finished softly.
Harry stared wide-eyed at her for a few moments. She didn't know if he wanted this or not. They had been trying for awhile to get pregnant, two years in fact. But, they had always either miscarried or not even conceived at all and she started to wonder if he even wanted this now, with the possibility of her miscarrying again. Then all of a sudden, he started jumping up enthusiastically and pulled her into his arms for a very Mrs. Weasley-like hug.
"I take it you like the news?" Hermione chuckled, silently thanking the lord that he was happy about this.
He answered her by giving her one of the most passionate kisses she had ever received. Harry couldn't even begin to tell her how happy he was, all he could do was dance around holding her and plant several kisses all over her beautiful, newly impregnated body.
"'Mione, you make me so happy!" he said softly in her ear before embracing her again, silently sobbing tears of joy.
"I love you so much Hermoine!" he added, his tears now soaking into her dress.
"I love you too Harry," she said softly as she also started to cry from utter happiness.
"Let's go upstairs now!" Harry suddenly demanded eagerly.
All Hermione could do was she smile and laugh as the love of her life scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom to make the most passionate love they had ever made.
* * *
Hermione was so excited. She had just gotten her pregnancy test and ultrasound. She was fourteen weeks along and couldn't wait to hear what the healer had to say about her baby.
Just as she was about to ask her husband what was taking their healer so long, he strode back into the room, but with a less then happy expression on his face.
"So, how's our baby doing?" Hermione asked her healer eagerly.
"Well, you are perfectly healthy," the healer started out hesitantly, emphasizing the word 'you'.
"And the baby?" Harry asked impatiently.
"Well… the baby is still alive, but there are some problems," he continued on.
"What sort of problems?" Hermione asked him, her smile starting to falter.
"Well, the egg inside you has the wrong number of chromosomes, and is starting to develop abnormally. This usually happens when you have a family history of it, and by looking at your family's record, Mrs. Potter, it seems that your mother and grandmother has this as well," he finished.
"Well, what about Harry, a-and his family?" Hermione questioned, in just a little higher than a whisper.
"Mr. Potter here's family is just fine, I think that with his good sperm, yours could possibly survive," Healer Zeller told her.
"Possibly?" She asked him quietly.
"I'm afraid so Mrs. Potter and also some more even graver news is that it's only about 12%," the healer replied sadly.
"So, you're saying that she has a possible 88% chance of miscarrying? Again?" Harry questioned the healer darkly.
All the healer could do was nod sadly; he wished that he could do more for this couple. This was after all most likely her second miscarriage in 15 months. Just as the healer was about to walk out of the room, another thought came to his mind.
"I might have a solution for you couple, it's called a Cerclage, and this procedure is where we sew up your cervix and it will give you a much more likely chance of this baby surviving," the healer told them hopefully.
"Really?" Hermione asked, the smile reappearing on her face. "It will save our baby?"
"It possibly could, but there is a major risk involved," he told her gravely.
"What sort of risk?" Harry asked wide-eyed.
"We could lose Hermione," Healer Zeller said flat out.
Harry didn't even have to think twice about this. As soon as the words came out of the healer's mouth, Harry was up and out of his seat.
"We won't do it," he said, just as flatly.
"But, Harry…" Hermione started, her eyes starting to fill up with tears.
"No Hermione," he told his wife firmly, "I will not lose you. You are the most important person in the world to me. I will not take this risk, I mean, losing the baby would be hard and depressing, but it's something that over time we can get over, but losing you as well… no, we aren't doing it," Harry ended just as firmly as he began, but his tone mildly softer.
"Thank you Healer Zeller, but we can't, I can't take this risk," he added politely to the healer.
"Alright," the healer said as he directed his attention to Hermione. "Mrs. Potter, you know what the symptoms for miscarriage are right?" Hermione nodded, "Then come and see me right away if it happens."
"Take care, both of you," he added before he walked swiftly from the room.
The drive home was a quiet affair. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind rushing past the car and the light hic-cupping from Hermione as she silently cried in her seat on the passenger side. Harry wished, looking over at his very depressed wife, that he could do something to make her feel better. Sure he would be very upset if they lost the baby again, but he wouldn't risk losing Hermione on anyone's life, not even his own.
When they pulled into their driveway, Hermione got instantly out of the car and ran into the house. Harry quickly followed and found her rolled up in a ball, sobbing silently (but more clearly) under the covers of their bed, in their bedroom on the second floor of their spacious home. As quietly as he could, he kicked off his shoes, dropped his cloak to the floor and easily slipped under the covers next to her and pulled her into his strong warm arms. He could feel her trembling as they laid there the rest of the night, then no sooner than later, she stopped and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
* * *
Harry was in a very good mood. It had been over two weeks since that pregnancy visit and Hermione had yet to miscarry. It was also the last day of her regular monthly menstruation cycle and he knew it would be very rare for her to miscarry after that. He hadn't seen her since the night before and couldn't wait to see how she and the baby were holding up. He started hoping beyond hope that their baby would actually live this time.
As he apparated into their living room, he noticed that no lights were on any where he could see.
"Hermione!" He called out, "Hermione, you home?!"
When he didn't get an answer, he thought of the night when Hermione had first told him that she had become pregnant again. That brought a smile to his face as he instantly thought of her doing that again, but then it faded away when he saw nothing but darkness in the dining room and no food cooking in the equally dark kitchen.
He called out to her once more, but again, got no answer. He was starting to get worried. He quickly checked the whole first floor and thought maybe she was upstairs and didn't hear him. But ever since he defeated Voldemort in the final battle six years ago, the death eaters had been lurking around, still trying to seek revenge on him. Then when he married Hermione, she was thrown into the picture and he would get constantly worried and terrified when she wouldn't answer to his calls.
He entered their bedroom and let out a quick sigh of relief as he had finally found her and she was safe. But there was something wrong; she was sitting off in the corner of their room with her slender arms wrapped around her knees, just staring off into space in front of her. He noticed that she also had tear streaks all down her face and his mood suddenly went from that natural high he had been feeling all day to as low as you could possibly go. He knew instantly what was wrong just by looking closely at her, but he couldn't help asking.
"Hermione," he said quietly, "what's wrong, love?" He dreaded the answer he knew was sure to come.
She looked up at him from her trance, he had a very concerned and pained look on his face that she simply couldn't take. She had only finally stopped crying mere minutes before Harry's arrival and now she started feeling the wetness return to her eyes as it turned into a full out sob once again.
He held out his arms to her and motioned for her to come. She quickly got up and ran into them as she said in between sobs, "Oh, Ha-Harry… I-I got m-my period to-today!"
Harry couldn't help the tears that started to fall from his eyes. He had wanted a full out family for as long as he could remember with many, many children and he didn't know how he could be so unlucky in his life, did God and/or Merlin not want him to be happy? This was what he had always wanted, and every time it had been taken away from him. Then soon enough, Harry's tears turned into a sob much like Hermione's. And they just sat there the rest of the day, wrapped in each other's arms, trying to make all the pain of that day go away.
* * *
A/N: Hey guys!! I'm glad if you like my story so far! Please leave me a review, I don't care how long. If you were wondering how Hermione ends up with babies when she just had this miscarriage, well, you'll find out in the next chapter. Anyway I'll upload the next chapter once I get 15 reads and 10 reviews, so people if you like my story, R&R for more!!
*: This was a line from the hit TV show 'Full House' when Becky was telling Jesse that she was pregnant. She made a dinner the same dinner (And Jesse didn't get it, lol, typical men).