Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling,
various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner
Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: I apologies everyone, all stories must have a cliffhanger once or twice, right?
Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It's for people like you that make an Author's morning better,
honestly.
But, this week one flamer caught my attention. Even though I replied to it's review, I couldn't go on quiet about it. For the general record, Hermione did not abuse Harry in the second chapter. The whole incident was an accident. Harry is not an abused boyfriend, and nor does this story support violence in any shape or form. My god, what did you think when Hermione slapped Malfoy in the third book?
If the flamer bothered to read A/N's of the second chapter, she will know the reason why Harry objected to Draco and Ginny being at his house. I'm sorry everyone, but it's just this kind of reviews that set my nerves on fire. If you want to flame this story, at least leave an intelligent flame. It's insulting to me, and to my story.
Alas, enjoy the new chapter. Next one will be the final chapter (chapter 6).
* * * * *
Chapter 5: Expecting
The room was soundless and nobody dared speak, each and every one of them was deep in thought, confused and angry.
Hermione stood in the middle of the living room looking intently at the floor, afraid to lift her head and into the other eyes. She knew they wanted an answer; something that would tell them that this wasn't true. How could she possible give them a correct answer, when she wasn't even sure about it herself?
Harry, who currently had one hand around Hermione, was looking down at her, or to be more accurate, he was staring at her. There was a terrified look etched on to his face, as thousands of confusing thoughts flashed through his mind.
'She can't be pregnant, and if she is, it's not my fault!' his mind was telling him irritably.
Fred glanced at Harry, and was struggling not to burst out laughing in front of everyone. There was a look of horror on his face as he looked at Hermione and then her belly (which is flat), and waited nervously for her answer. Fred was finding the whole situation incredibly amusing; he had never seen such an angry gathering, not since the time that everyone had thought Harry and Hermione had eloped.
'George, you don't know what you're missing, Ron is going ballistic - SHOW TIME!' Fred's mind sniggered as he looked around and spotted the red-faced Ron.
Angelina was looking around, quite satisfied with her achievement, a very angry group of red-haired Weasleys, then she spotted Fred's small smile and scowled in his direction.
'Just wait 'till we get home Fred Weasley, just wait...' she thought, while narrowing her eyes at him. He saw her narrowed eyes, and his smile was replaced with an anxious look.
Molly was standing beside Arthur, clutching his arm tightly from anticipation. He didn't seem to mind, the blank look still covered his face, which showed he wasn't thinking about much either.
But Molly was a different story. She would have been happy if they had been married first, but they weren't. Unfortunately Hermione was pregnant now, that would hopefully force them to get married. And what if they weren't ready? Unlike her other children, who had hurried to settle down, Harry and Hermione had taken everything slowly and at their own pace. She knew she wouldn't be able to control her anger if Hermione's answer was positive, but also knew she wouldn't be as bad as Ron.
Ron was angry. He was so angry that he could strangle Harry, now that would be helpful. It wasn't fair to Hermione; Harry didn't have the right to do what he had done. She probably didn't even want to get pregnant, and she definitely wouldn't get rid of the baby.
'I'm going to kill him, and strangle him. YES, I'm going to kill him and then bring him back so I can strangle him, the sneaky prat.' Ron was glaring at Harry, while planning the murder and how to do it.
Draco, not unlike Fred, didn't care about his wife scowling at him. He didn't find the situation funny, he felt sorry for the both of them, especially Hermione. But as long as Harry was in trouble, he would be happy.
'Poor Granger, to think she has to carry Potter's kid. Good thing she's smart, the kid wouldn't want to get his father's stupidity.' He smiled as he made that remark in his head, and made sure he would remember it so he could tell them it later.
Ginny was scowling at her husband, and she knew he didn't care. She knew he was happy about how much trouble Harry had got himself into, but this time it wasn't funny. This was not some stupid fight; this was a human life that everyone was angry about. She knew how horrible Hermione must feel, telling everyone she was knocked up by her boyfriend and not being married.
'You weren't smiling when I got pregnant, idiot, you were too busy fainting and running away from Ron, who was angry with you for touching me!' she thought while remembering the night at The Burrow, in which they had told everyone, and Ron had started chasing Draco around the kitchen with his fork.
Lavender was the only one standing looking very pleased, she was simply happy because she knew that Hermione would end up also being happy.
* * * * * *
They had been standing there for ten minutes, and the nervous tension in the air was getting thicker. This couldn't wait any longer, Hermione had to tell them. She was terrified, and it was very visible to everyone. So taking a deep calming breath and looking up, she saw the whole room staring back at her.
She saw Arthur's blank-shocked look, Molly's tearful face, Fred & Draco's smirks, and Ginny's pitying gaze eyeing her expectantly. Then there were Angelina's death glares sent at Fred, Ron's psycho look, Lavender's big smile and Harry's terrified eyes looking down at her.
"I know you all want an answer -" she started a little hesitantly, but an outburst from Ron cut her off.
"You're bloody right, we do!" he said loudly.
"But I want Harry to be the first to know, what ever my answer is," she replied more calmly, completely ignoring Ron's out burst
She took Harry's arm and led the way toward the small kitchen, and he let her lead him away from the living room. Everyone's eyes were watching the both of them eagerly, not wanting to let them slip away. Ron was trying to get near so he could hear what Hermione was saying to Harry, but Ginny stopped him before he had gotten anywhere near.
Fred too was trying his luck, he took one of his Extendable Ears out of his pocket and was just about to let it go, but Angelina snatched it out of his hands before he got the chance.
Hermione was leaning against the wood counter, looking very stressed, while Harry was staring at her. She took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eyes, taking his hands into hers and holding them tightly.
"Harry, love, I know what I'm going to tell you will not make any sense," she told him with hesitation in her voice, "but I'm not sure if I am." She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"Why... why... didn't you - didn't - you tell... tell me?" his voice was awfully quiet and he was stumbling over his words.
"Harry its not-" she tried to explain to him, as she put an arm on his cheek.
"Damn it, Hermione!" he said loudly, taking a step backwards and making her hand fall down. "How could you not know? How could you do this to me? You made me feel like an idiot, trying to figure it all out for myself. Why you were green every morning, making everybody come here and let Ron have a go at trying to castrate me! And you don't know!" his temper was rising so fast that he didn't seem to notice he was yelling.
Silence was sounded in the room once again, and Hermione's tears and sniffs were the only sound to be heard. Each and every single person in the room was finding this news very shocking, how a person could not know something as important as this.
Arthur was no longer looking shocked; a small smile was creeping on to his face. He looked pretty pleased about the news, as he kept a comforting arm around his wife.
"Oh, this is not happening," mumbled heated and shocked Molly. "It's never happened before now, and it can't be happening now." She kept sobbing.
"I knew it!" yelled Ron. "I knew it all along! When will I get the chance to -" he didn't finish his sentence, and leapt from his place towards Harry.
The movement shocked everyone, but Ron didn't get too near Harry before Lavender had thrown herself at him. Ron was surprised by the sudden amount of weight on his back, and fell face forward onto the carpet.
"Can't stay off you, can she, little bro?" Fred laughed at the sight of Lavender on top of Ron. Angelina shot him a dirty look, and smacked him over the head in return.
"Lav, get off. I can't move. Lavender!" Ron tried to fight her off.
"Not until you calm down." She announced, while sitting on his back and folding her arms across her chest.
Ginny on the other hand, hurried straight to Hermione's side. She flung her arms around her, and hugged her tightly.
"Oh Herm, everything is going to be all right," Ginny tried to console her friend.
"Congratulations. I hope the kid won't look like you; it will give him some very serious social problems. You hardly had any friends back at school." Draco whispered to Harry, who was standing next to him.
At that moment, Harry realized for the first time what this whole thing meant. And it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, as the idea of him becoming a father finally sunk in. And he smiled to himself, suddenly very proud. As Harry's smile grew bigger, so did the commotion around him.
Hermione was looking around her with amazement. She had just told all of them she might be pregnant, a thing that was suppose to be wonderful and happy. But the people around her were crying, angry or feeling sorry for her, as if something terrible had just happened. Her anger was starting to grow, as tears were starting to well up in her eyes.
"Be quiet!" she said loudly, her voice slightly shaking.
No one seemed to hear her, they kept crying and yelling. Only Draco and Harry were looking at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" she yelled angrily.
Suddenly the whole room became very still. Everyone froze in mid-action and looked at her, most of them with confused looks.
"For Merlin's sake, I'm pregnant. So what if we're not bloody married? This is supposed to be a happy thing for all of you, as for me too..." she broke free from Ginny's hug, and was now standing in the middle of the living room.
"Herm -" Ron tried to say something, but she didn't let him finish.
"No! Let me finish," she spat in his direction. "It was so fantastic and wonderful when you all had your children, everyone was overjoyed. But today, when Harry assumed that maybe I am pregnant, you all appeared here and tried to take his head off. You all act like it's a bloody disaster, but its bloody well not! I'm going to be a mother, and all you can do is cry and feel sorry for me! Well, at least I know whom not to owl when the baby is born!" she finished with a loud huff, tears now streaming down her face in a flow.
There was a drastic change in everyone's mood; the fact of Hermione's pregnancy had finally sunk in. They now understood how wrong their reactions had been, and how much they had hurt Hermione.
Molly was no longer crying; instead she looked deep into her husband eyes as a smile crept onto her face. She was blushing slightly, ashamed of her outburst earlier.
Ron was still spread on the floor with Lavender sitting on his back. He wasn't looking at Hermione or Harry; his ears were becoming as red as his hair was. He understood how unfair he had acted towards them, towards his two best friends.
'Some best friend I am, huh?' he thought bitterly.
Ginny had drifted over to Draco, trying to hide behind him. The things Hermione had just said were drilling into her mind, making her feel more horrible. She was struggling with the thought of how wonderful the idea of Hermione, as a mother would be, and how stupid she was to think it was bad thing to happen.
"Well," Hermione continued in a trembling voice, "I can see none of you really give a damn about how I feel." Tears were now coating her face, and she ran to the bedroom before any of them could speak.
"Hermione!" Harry called after her. He Appartated into their room, before she got the chance to say the anti-Apparition spell, and lock the door so he couldn't get in
Everyone looked at each other with confusion and shame, and then Apparated away or used the fireplace. One by one they vanished, leaving an empty and quiet house.
* * * * * *
Hermione was spread across their bed, sobbing, as Harry sat beside her, stroking her hair lightly. She couldn't stop the tears from dropping, splattering all over the covers. Her body was shaking violently, and the pillows had muffled her cries.
"'Mione," Harry said softly.
She didn't respond to his voice, but kept sobbing quietly to herself.
"Hey, Puffskein..." he tried again, with an evil smile.
At the mention of her nickname Hermione turned onto her back with a swift movement, and looked up at him with narrowed eyes. Then she spotted the smile on his face, and her expression had turned into a frown.
"I hate that name, and you know it!" she replied angrily.
"There is nothing wrong with that name..." he responded, very amused by her reaction.
"I don't think I look like a furball, I don't have a long tongue and I most certainly do not purr!" she sat up against the headboard, folding her arms.
"Oh really?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "What was that last night then? I don't believe Crookshanks was the one purring into my ear..." he said in a suggestive manner. She blushed a nice pink color.
"You're the one to talk. You couldn't shut up the whole time!" she retorted defensively, a smile starting to creep onto her tear streaked face.
"Yeah right. I nearly got deaf because of you," he cleared his throat, "you were screaming at the top of your lungs, 'Harry, Harry... faster...' and I didn't shut up..." he tried to imitate Hermione's cries from the other night.
Her jaw dropped, and she was starring at him with her mouth slightly open. He was laughing at her, and all she could do was hit him playfully on the chest with a pillow. He hit her back, and before they noticed they were rolling around the bed wrestling playfully.
"You were saying," he commented smiling as he pinned her down, sitting on top of her.
"Harry... my stomach..." she breathed heavily, trying to tell him she could hardly breathe. He immediately got off her, with a worried look on his face.
"I'm so sorry, 'Mione. Are you all right? Is the baby OK? Tell me I didn't do anything to him..." he asked hysterically.
"I'm fine Harry, and the baby..." her smile widened. "The baby, if it is in there, is fine too." A twinkle appeared in her eyes.
"Herm," he said serious, "I know that you took what they said out there very seriously. But I want you to know that I don't care, this isn't a mistake. I really love you, and I will probably love our baby. You're going to be someone's Mommy, and that's what is important." He looked into her eyes, and they both smiled at each other.
"And you're going to be that someone's Daddy," she replied.
"I better be! You will have some explaining to do if I'm not." He laughed, putting on the best accusing look he could manage.
"Well now I think about it now, it is possible that it could be that nice bloke from the 'Spell Damage' ward..." she pretended to think for a moment.
Harry could only laugh at this. Before she noticed he threw himself on her, kissing her face and neck. He noticed that once again he was pressed against her stomach, and she seemed a little concerned about it. So he bent over and placed a small kiss on her still flat belly.
"Sorry about that, baby," he whispered to his maybe unborn child.
"Harry," replied a giggling Hermione, "if it's there, it can't hear you. And about that, I'm getting the results from my doctor tomorrow." She said smiling; not believing how cute Harry could get at times.
"Wow, hold it! First, so what if it can't hear me? Second, don't call him 'It', that'll offend him. Third, you mean like a Muggle doctor? Why didn't you go to one of the Healers at St. Mungo's?" he asked, getting confused.
"Well, if I got one of the Healers then the Daily Prophet would find out about it quicker. And I trust doctors, Dr. Emerson is wonderful." She replied.
"Oh well, do you want me to come with you?" he asked hopefully.
"No Harry. You have practice tomorrow!" she answered urgently.
"But..." he tried to convince her otherwise.
"No Harry!" she said firmly.
"Oh fine! No wonder Wood likes you so much," he mumbled, feeling defeated.
She heard what he said and couldn't help but laugh. He gave her a dirty look.
"'Night Harry," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"Sweet Dreams Puffskein," he whispered back and bent down once again. "'Night Baby," he said softly, kissing her belly. Resting his head on it. He closed his eyes, as Hermione stroked his hair tenderly.
After ten minutes they were both sound asleep, with Harry's body resting protectively over Hermione's stomach.
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