Out of Hogwarts

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: This is my first ever fic, which I wrote it about a couple of years ago. It has been posted on fanfiction.net and FictionAlley, since then. Now I'm bringing it here to portkey, enjoy!

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Chapter 1: A Sunday Morning

The alarm clock on the bedside table read nine a.m., as the cool morning breeze entered the warmth of number 30 Warren Street flat in London. It seemed to be just another ordinary Sunday morning.

Harry Potter, now at the age of 26, turned over in his bed, ready to see his beautiful girlfriend lying next to him. He could hardly see without his glasses, but he could tell that she wasn't there.

He reached out with his hand to her side of the bed, but it came in contact only with her slightly cold pillow.

He buried his face in his feathery pillow as he closed his eyes. The muffled sounds of talking and giggling could be heard from the kitchen.

'What the hell?!' he thought to himself.

He wanted to go back to sleep. But the absence of the second person from the bed, and the merry chattering made it impossible.

And as much as he wanted to stay in bed all day, it was the time to get up.

He picked up his glasses from the floor where they had fallen after last night's activities, and made his way to the bathroom.

* * * * *

Harry stepped out of the bedroom after taking a quick shower, still a little groggy and tired.

He looked around at the small Living Room, and immediately spotted Hermione, sitting on the Kitchen counter talking enthusiastically with Ginny. While Draco was leaning on the counter reading The Daily Prophet, and from time to time sipping form his tea.

Harry groaned loudly and shut the door of the bedroom behind him. The three young-adults stopped their actions and looked up at him.

"Don't you people have a home that you need to be here every Sunday morning?" Harry grumbled as he sat at the kitchen table and poured himself some tea.

"Grumpy, Potter? What happened? Granger kept you up late last night?" Draco smirked at him, as Hermione became a deep shade of scarlet.

"Jealous, Malfoy?" he retorted.

"For Merlin's sake, you two, quit acting like two children. Can't you have a normal conversation for once in your life? Honestly!" Hermione snapped at them, trying to change the direction this conversation was heading to.

"Oh look... Granger is blushing!" Draco said in a fake exited tone, while pointing at her.

"Be quiet Draco! And stop making fun of Harry and Hermione," Ginny scowled at her husband.

"Having trouble with the Missus, aren't we Malfoy?" Harry smiled proudly at his achievement, which was getting Malfoy into trouble with his wife.

"If you don't shut up, you will have trouble with me," said Hermione, glaring at her Boyfriend.

Harry became quiet at once, he saw the big smile playing on Draco's face, and the only thing he wanted to do was to make it disappear. Harry knew better then this. Trouble with Hermione meant sleeping on the couch, making his own coffee in the morning, and being prevented from any future benefit that she had. And he did not want that.

Hermione was back to talking to Ginny, Draco reading his newspaper and Harry was doing as he was told. He sat quietly.

About five minutes later a big blast came from the living room fireplace, and Molly Weasley emerged from the flames, trying to get the dust out of her robes. Harry was the first to reach her, and he hugged her.

"Mom," he got used to calling her that after 15 years of knowing the Weasleys, "how are you today?" he asked.

"Fine, dear," she said after releasing him from the hug, "but not much I can say about you! Go put something on, you will catch a cold walking around only with your pants..." And urged him toward the bedroom. Harry only laughed and gave her a peck on the cheek before heading to the bedroom.

Right after Harry, Hermione approached the woman that has been like a second mother to her. She hugged Mrs. Weasley, and they both beamed at each other.

"I'm so happy to see you Mrs. Weasley! What brings you here? I thought we're supposed to come over tonight..." Hermione added.

"I've known you for 15 years, Hermione. It's time you started calling me Molly!" they both gave a small laugh, "I just wanted to see how you kids are doing, I went to visit Ron, so I thought I'd drop by. And I just knew those two will be here!" she glared at the two Malfoys.

"Well it's nice to see you too, Mom," Ginny answered in a sarcastic tone, as she stood up to hug her mother.

"Molly," added Draco before hugging her, and kissing her cheek.

"Don't get smart with me Virginia. You and Draco have a house, but still every single Sunday morning and other days, you seem to find your way here. Harry and Hermione need their privacy." She glared at her daughter in a severe way.

"AU HUH! THANK YOU!" they could hear Harry shout as he emerged from the bedroom, walking toward Molly and placing an arm around her shoulder.

Hermione glared at him, anger playing her face, but Harry didn't care. He had Molly by his side. So the only thing he could do was to smirk at her in a satiated manner, which made her narrow her eyes at him even more.

"We know that Mom! We just want to spend time with our friends..." Ginny tried to explain.

"But your friend wants to spend time with his other friend, alone..." Harry said, using the opportunity to get back at the two.

"Shut up Harry, you know bloody well that..." Ginny was cut off again, this time by Molly.

"I don't want to hear it! Harry is your friend, so talk to him nicely! And I think it's time we let this two some peace and quiet." Molly said firmly, not backing away from her decision.

Ginny looked desperately at Hermione, asking for help, But they both knew that Harry had gotten his way; there was no way they could overrule Molly's decisions. It was like trying to fight a Blast-Ended Skrewt Blindfolded.

"Teach the little prat a lesson for me..." Ginny whispered to Hermione as the two of them hugged.

Hermione let out a small snort.

"No problem," she then whispered in reply.

She gave Draco a quick hug and a small smile, and kissed Molly on the cheek. She waved her hand for goodbye, as the sound of 3 *pops* was heard, and the three has vanished.

Harry turned to her with a big smile on his face.

"Well that went well. How about jumping back into bed?" he asked seductively, as the grin on his face widened (if it was possible).

Hermione looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You know what?" she asked, moving closer to him.

"What?" he asked eagerly, while putting his hands around her waist.

"You wanted peace and quiet, so why don't 'you jump into bed'..." She looked at him with an evil smile.

"Alone!" she pushed him away, and added as an afterthought.

He just stood there and watched as his angry girlfriend walk away from him. He grumbled and walked into their bedroom, muttering something that sounded like 'Women!'.

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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: Julia, my old Beta, thank you for the fantastic job you did on this chapter. As for the 15 fab reviewers, you make each morning brighter with all your kind words. Never beware of flaming - constructive criticism is a good thing.

Emerald iris, Draco and Ginny had made it a habit to hang around the flat every Sunday morning, wither they've been invited or not. While Harry dislikes it, Hermione sees it as a chance to catch-up with Ginny. Molly tends to side with Harry, though. Marrlyn42, as I said, Ginny and Draco practically don't have a home in this story. Emilyjane, thanks for the point out, the story was written in 2004, before JK told us much about anything. (:

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Chapter Two: Flying Books and a Black Eye

It was the beginning of July, but the nights were still cool and breezy. The evening wind had started to blow, and it was getting darker as the hours passed. The hour turned eight p.m., as the sun was begging to set. And The Wizard Clock was now pointing at the words 'Dinner time!'.

Harry was buttoning his dark-green button-up shirt, while throwing small glances at Hermione, from the corner of his eyes. She noticed, but still continued to get ready, while clearly ignoring his presence in the room.

"Hermione." Harry's voice was calm, but a little edgy.

He had tried to make her answer him, by simply repeating her name over and over again in the last hour, but she seemed not to hear him. His small plan had failed, because he was the one who started to crack, before Hermione did.

This is Malfoy's fault... he thought bitterly. Draco Bloody Malfoy!

Truth be told, he had become one of his best mates. But it certainly didn't make him less of a git than he had been.

When they became friends it was hard for them not to insult each other, which was the reason they developed some kind of a strange game. It could have been called by its purpose, the 'Who Will Get The Other One Into Trouble With His Girlfriend/Wife Faster?' game.

But the outcomes were never even, which was a problem. Because Ginny usually forgave Draco after ten minutes, while Hermione could have declared a war on Harry.

Harry was now becoming very restless with Hermione's behavior; she was making a fuss over nothing. So what if he had sent her friends home, in a very unfair way? That was not an excuse to give him the silence treatment.

"Come on!" Harry snapped, irritated. "I told you I was sorry! What else could you possibly want from me, woman?"

The last word to leave his mouth was the one to make Hermione far beyond cracked.

The only answer Hermione could give Harry caught him off-guard, as it came flying at him in a shape of a big brown book. It hit him straight in the face, knocking him down flat on his back.

"OW!!! What did you do that for?" he asked angrily and clutched his eye, while trying to get up.

She could only giggle silently at the sight of his swollen eye that was bound to get purple very soon. Unless she was very much mistaken, Hermione had just given him a black eye.

"Crazy Hag..." he muttered to himself as he got to his feet.

At the same second he finished saying that sentence, Hermione got angry again. Another book came flying at him, missing him by an inch as it landed.

He came to the conclusion that shutting-up at this point would be a splendid idea.

* * * * * *

A half hour later, still not speaking to each other, Harry and Hermione Apparated into the Burrow. They were standing in the middle of the Living Room, which was crowded with people. All the Weasley clan had arrived (except for Percy, who was visiting Penelope's parents that night) to the gathering.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with their presence," said a smiling Arthur Weasley.

"Arthur!" beamed Hermione as she hugged the man that had been like a second father to her. "We had a few problems, I am so sorry to have kept you waiting!" she said while frowning in Harry's direction. Arthur just smiled and moved to greet Harry.

"Harry." His smile grew bigger. "What did you do to deserve that?" he chuckled lightly.

"It was Malfoy's fault, Dad! Ask Mom!" he protested while glancing at the now smirking Draco. "But I did kind of call her a Crazy Hag..." Harry murmured.

"Now, that is not nice, son. Hermione can't be a hag, she's too beautiful," Arthur said cheerfully, ignoring the crazy part, because everyone knew Hermione's moods.

Hermione greeted all the men in the room with hugs, and hurried to join Ginny, Lavender, Angelina, Fleur and Jessica.

Jessica was Charlie's wife. She had long black hair, bright brown eyes and the body of a super model (which she was). But one thing was different about her, not like the others in the room--she was a Muggle.

Hermione greeted the mob of giggling women, and told them all about Harry's last 'accident'.

Ron reached Harry first after his father, with a big smile on his face. Harry knew what was coming, it's not every day that he waltzed into The Burrow with a black eye.

"Harry mate, would you mind explaining that?" said Ron, gesturing toward his face.

"Ron... I could easily explain it to you, he was born that way. Unlucky bloke. Why are you so surprised now?" Draco said with a smirk.

"Don't get me started on your face, Malfoy!" Ron said with a snarl.

"What is wrong with my face, dear brother? I believe you said Malfoy, have you forgotten my last name?" Ginny asked him with a calm look. When he didn't answer she smiled. "I see. Well Harry, you were saying..." she said with an evil smile playing on her face, turning her eyes to Harry.

"I...um...see, I tripped over something..." He stumbled on his words, while Ron looked at him suspiciously.

All the women in the room and Draco broke into peals of laughter, as the rest of the men (minus Arthur who kept smiling) looked at them weirdly. Harry felt the temperature of the room rising, as he blushed deep shade of scarlet.

Ginny was the first one who stopped laughing after a few seconds.

"Sure you did honey, with all those"--she let out a giggle--"books... lying around the flat!" She soon started laughing again.

"What are you getting at' Gin?" Fred asked her curiously, but she kept laughing with the other women.

"She's mental. They all are," George replied to his twin brother's question.

"Wait a second. Jess, what's going on?" Charlie asked his wife.

"Ask Harry!" was all she told him. A very unhelpful answer, that was.

Bill, who had stayed silent the whole time, watched as the women made the other men very confused, and Harry very embarrassed.

He also noticed that Draco was the only one with a smirk on his face, and approached him.

"Okay, mate, what do you know?" he whispered to him.

"Only that I got our dear friend over there"--he nodded toward Harry--"in a lot of trouble with Hermione this morning." He smiled proudly, while Bill let out a small laugh.

"So he pissed her off, and she threw a couple of books at him," Bill said, a little too loud, because now the whole room was bursting with laughter, and poor Harry felt like digging a hole in the ground and disappearing into it.

Suddenly, like Harry's prayers had been heard...

"DINNER!!!" Molly's voice boomed from the kitchen as she called.

The merry crowd soon forgot about Harry, and was now exiting the living room and making their way to the kitchen.

Still flushed and grim, Harry stood in the middle of the room, shock playing on his face.

"She's an evil thing, that woman...evil!" he hissed at Ron who was looking rather amused.

"I told you to never get on Hermione's bad side!" Ron told him knowingly.

"But-but-she gave me a black eye! And then...then this!" he threw his arms in the air, gesturing at the room.

"She's your girlfriend." Ron shrugged. "Come on mate, the food's waiting and I'm hungry." He patted his stomach lightly.

"You're always hungry," Harry said rolling his eyes at him.

"I'm a man," Ron said defensively. Harry only smiled, as the pair of them made their way to the kitchen.

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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: Yet again, another installment, a new chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and for my first flamer here on Portkey! I would like to point out that these are my Harry and Hermione, mixed with the behavior of my sisters at the age of 26. Growing up is a hard thing to do… (:

Hermione will not stay evil for long, and the first cliffhanger is in the following chapter.

Review, review and… read? Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Dinner at The Burrow

After an hour or so, everyone at the table was leaning back in their seats, enjoying the aftermath of a good meal. Well, except for Ron, who still hadn't finished eating. To everyone's astonishment he did not even look close to being full, which should not have been surprising for it was typical of Ron. Hermione had once tried to examine that habit of his, of eating too much, but she gave up as quickly as she started.

Everyone around the table was talking merrily and listening to Fred and George's hilarious stories, most of them at which had taken place at their joke shop. Molly wasn't really interested in hearing what they were saying about the shop, which she never approved of anyway. She still insisted that it was not a way to make a living, even though they were pretty successful. Their business was expanding into two more divisions in Britain and three in Europe.

Since Molly Weasley had decided to ignore her two sons' idiotic stories she sat in her seat at the edge of the table, quietly talking with Harry, who didn't feel like joining the merry chatter either. The livid feeling burning his mind, of the earlier happenings, was still there.

"So this one kid came into the store yesterday, and he started looking around. Fred here immediately saw that he was looking around too suspiciously, and he guessed he wanted to steal something. So we set him up, and allowed him to steal something-" George was cut off in mid sentence.

"What did you do that for? Helping him to become a law breaker isn't right." Bill interrupted him, a little startled by his brothers' behavior.

"We're getting there, keep your pants on..." Fred muttered, annoyance unmistakable in his voice.

"Anyway," George continued while glaring at Bill, "we let him think he got away, and, well, actually he did, the stupid little git but he didn't know what he had stolen. In his pocket was our latest invention, 'Weasley Itchy Freezey', and let's say that when your legs and arms are frozen, and you really need to scratch them, it is not a pleasant experience! And indeed it was a beautiful moment watching that poor mate walk out of our store and into doom." He finished his story and pretended to shed a tear from his eye.

Everyone who was listening laughed at Fred and George's sadistic actions; how foolish was the kid to think that he could fool the kings of mischief, 'The Great Weasley Twins'.

"Your children will be miserable when they grow up. Every time they do something bad, their daddies will try some new pranks on them," assumed Jessica, who was looking amused and scared at the same time.

"At least we'll have some proof that they work," replied a smiling Fred.

"Fred Weasley! I cannot believe my ears!" exclaimed Angelina with her eyes wide open, gaping at her husband.

"Cool down, I was only joking. You really think I'd do anything like that to the little Gnomes?" he asked with a smile.

"Do not call my children stupid!" she snapped at him.

"I did not call OUR children stupid, they like it when I call them Gnomes!" he half snapped, half mocked her.

"That's because they're two years old! And you are an idiot!" She pushed herself up from her seat, walking angrily out of the room.

"Don't you dare walk out on me, Angelina Weasley, not when I'm talking to you!" shouted Fred loudly, slightly raising his voice.

"It will be Johnson, not Weasley if you don't shut the bloody hell up!"

With that last comment she had walked out of the door, leaving a shocked Fred to gape at the door. He huffed loudly, while putting his best face on, and charged after her yelling something about 'damn hormones'.

"Sometimes I wonder... if it's Fred or Angelina that's pregnant," chuckled Hermione.

"Such an understanding husband," Ginny commented with a mock dreamy expression on her face. Everyone's response was to break out into peals of laughter.

"I'm lucky Katie wasn't here - she would have hexed me 'till next week," George muttered to Charlie.

* * * * * *

Soon enough the dishes from the table had disappeared, and soon so had Harry and Molly. After clearing up the dishes of the table, and muttering a few spells to make them wash themselves, Molly and Harry continued to talk quietly.

Now that the dishes were clean and the whole clan was seated in the Living Room, Molly took it upon herself to heal Harry's eye. All it took was one simple healing spell that Harry told himself to remember so if Hermione would do something like this in the future he would be ready.

When Harry finally sat down in the living room he was too tired to talk; he just sank into the nearest armchair in sight. At the Dursleys' he always found housework to be easy, because there was only a small group of people to clean after. But now, at the Burrow, there were always a lot of people and mountains of dishes and utensils ready to be cleaned.

He watched all the happy faces of his friends and family, who were now gathered round together for a cup of tea.

And to think, that only two hours ago he was ready to strangle each and every one of them, Hermione in the lead. Well, everyone with the exception of Molly (who saved him from them). She always defended him, like a mother would. Probably just like his mother would, if she wasn't dead.

"Hey, what's bothering you mate?" asked a voice to his left.

He turned his head silently, meeting Ron's eyes.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"Come on. We were just teasing you, no need to take it so harshly. I can see mum fixed it for you..." Ron tried to cheer him, offering a weak grin.

"It's not that," Harry said, still looking into space with a blank expression.

"So..." Ron looked at him expectantly.

"Nothing..." he replied, while letting out a breath he had been holding in.

Harry got up and strolled into the kitchen, and then headed out the back door. Ron watched him go, a worried expression on his face. He never liked it when Harry acted like this so he decided to go after him.

When Ron reached the garden, he saw Harry standing by the large pond, looking at the sky with the same blank expression.

He knew what it meant, Harry had a black cloud hovering over his head. And he, Ron, was intended to find out why...

"Hey," he greeted him quietly.

"Do you think she loves me?" Harry asked, not turning to meet his eyes.

"Who? Herm?" Ron asked, surprised.

Harry nodded.

"Sure she does!" said Ron, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So why does she make it so difficult for me?" he asked with a slight sadness in his voice.

"Herm is...a little complicated, you know her. Why? Has something happened?" he asked. Ron was getting more confused by Harry's attitude.

"Yes... No... I have no idea anymore." He sighed loudly.

"Come on, Harry, what's with all this talking? You were perfectly happy three hours ago," Ron replied, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I was talking to Mum a while ago, when you were all in the living room, and I told her what happened this morning after she left-"

Ron cut him off.

"You actually told her something about you and Hermione? And she didn't freak?" he asked in amazement.

"Yeah, so? I always talk to Mum about things, she gives the best advice," Harry said while looking at Ron oddly. "What is the big deal?"

"Nothing, It's just that I finally understand why she defends you all the time. You're the only one who actually talks to her about your life; even Ginny keeps everything to herself!" Ron told him with astonishment.

"What? Don't look at me like that!" Harry snapped at him.

"Sorry mate, you just caught me off guard with that," Ron said with a smile. "Seriously, now, tell dear Ron what is the problem. I already know that Herm is abusing you, and don't go too far with this all right? I still need to look at her from time to time, she is my best friend..."

"She doesn't want to get married," Harry responded, getting right to the point, which startled Ron a little bit.

"Excuse me?" he asked dumbly.

"She doesn't want to marry me, Ron!" Harry said a little too aggressively.

"When did you ask her? And why didn't you tell me?" He was confused and angry at the same time.

"I didn't," Harry answered simply.

"So how the bloody hell do you know what she wants? You didn't even give her the chance to..." Ron stated, and Harry was sure that he thought he was an idiot.

"Because she told me so," he replied. "And I never knew you were so positive of the possibility that she will dump me," he added sarcastically.

"Did she really say it to your face, like, 'Hey Harry, I don't want to marry you, so don't bother asking?' kind of way?" Ron tried to mimic Hermione, which turned out to be a very bad imitation.

"No, she kind of hinted it. How did Lavender react when you proposed to her?" Harry asked and looked at Ron, who was grinning broadly, recalling that night.

"I asked her, and she just jumped into my arms shouting yes like some mad woman an-" He was cut off by someone's voice.

"You begged me to marry you! After the girls rounded you!"

Both men jumped and turned around, as Lavender stood there smirking at them.

"Don't do that, you almost gave me a heart attack!" whined Ron.

"Don't whine, Ronald. Now, what is all this proposal talk about?" she asked, as she placed one arm around Ron's waist.

"Nothi-" Harry didn't have the chance to finish his sentence.

"Harry wants to marry Hermione..." Ron supplied, and before they knew what was going on, Lavender jumped on Harry squalling with excitement.

"Oh God. Really? You're kidding? Really?" she asked with a lot of enthusiasm.

"But she doesn't want to marry Harry..." Ron said, and Lavender stopped jumping and looked at him oddly.

"Don't be stupid, Ron! Why wouldn't she?" she asked surprised.

"Ask Harry! He said it, not me." Ron threw his hands up in surrender.

"Oh Harry, she loves you!" Lavender said, taking Harry's hands in hers.

"I know she loves me! But did she ever say something about wanting to marry me? Of course not! Because she doesn't want to!" Harry said angrily. Dropping his hands from hers, he stormed silently toward the house. Ron and Lavender watched their friend walk away, still slightly shocked at his sudden outburst.

* * * * * *

Harry stepped into the living room, still shaking with anger. He took in the room's warm atmosphere and looked around at his family and friends. And there she was, her head on Ginny's lap; she was fast asleep. Looking so innocent, he watched her as all his worries and anger faded into thin air at that very moment. He was lost. Lost in her, and the way back was impossible.

He approached her slowly, and bent down a little to pick her up.

"Don't you dare touch me, or Ginny will be the next thing that will be flying at you," she said, still half asleep. Ginny looked at her with an unpleasant expression on her face.

"Well then," Harry whispered to her, "do as you wish. I'm going home."

He walked toward Molly and Arthur, who were currently talking with Bill and Fleur.

"Well, I think I'm going to Apparate home..." he said with a weak smile, as Molly stood up and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"'Night Mum," he said quietly as he kissed her cheek.

"Dad." He shook the older man's hand warmly.

"Good night, mate," Bill said, nodding at him. Harry smiled at Bill and Fleur and nodded.

He then turned to the other couch, where George and Charlie were in the middle of a chess game. He nodded at them too, and wished them good night as well.

"Gin, Malfoy. Don't want to see your faces tomorrow morning," he said with a small laugh.

"Don't flatter yourself Potter." Draco smirked at him.

Ginny nudged her husband lightly in the ribs.

"Ow!" he yelped.

Harry bent down and gave the small redhead a brief hug; she held on to him long enough to whisper something in his ear.

"Don't worry, we won't be over tomorrow. Mum is taking care of that, so you and Hermione can make up for as long as you want to," replied Ginny, giggling.

The moment Ginny released him from the hug, Hermione pulled his head down again, to his great surprise. She kissed him softly and tenderly.

"Hmm...hmm... hmm..." They heard Ginny clear her throat. "Sorry to break your little moment, lovebirds, but you're kind of in my face."

She giggled as they both blushed, and Harry straightened himself.

"Oh Gin, another thing," he said, "tell Fred and Angie goodbye for me, and Ron and Lav that I'm sorry." Ginny looked confused because of the last part.

"Bye," Hermione said.

He smiled weakly, and then vanished with a small pop.

* * * * * *

An hour after Harry had gone home, Hermione Apparated into their bedroom. She expected Harry to be awake. She thought she made it pretty clear back at the Burrow. But as she looked around the room, he wasn't awake or even there. Peering into the bathroom, he wasn't there either. A terrified feeling filled her chest.

Hermione hurried out of the bedroom, and stepped into the small living room. She immediately understood where he had gone. Right in front of her, on the small couch, laid a sleeping Harry Potter. She wanted to jump at him and hit him for driving her crazy, but didn't have the heart to do so. Walked over to him and bending down beside him, she looked at his perfectly sleeping form.

"Harry," she whispered, stroking his hair lightly.

"Late', Mione, tied now... we did it all' weedy." (Translation: Not now Hermione, tired now... we did it already.) He mumbled in his sleep.

She smiled at the thought that he was thinking about her even in his sleep.

"Harry, Sweetie, get up and come to bed..." She nudged him lightly to wake him up.

"No, I'm staying here," he mumbled in the same half asleep tone she used on him in the Weasleys' living room, "too risky. If I go in there now, your mood can change again and I'll be spending the night avoiding flying books."

Her face twisted from a loving expression to an annoyed one.

"Fine. G'night," she muttered.

But before she got the chance to move, he pulled her into a short kiss. Then released her, and went back to sleep. Hermione entered their bedroom, with a very dazed look on her face.

'Damn him!' she cursed him in her mind before drifting back to sleep.

Later that night Harry was awoken by a sudden figure landing on him. As brown wavy curls covered his face he smirked to himself, and made room for her on the sofa. Finally, they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

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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: Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed, a lot of thanks to my Beta reader. To all the confused reviewers and readers out there, Hermione is sending a lot of mixed messages to Harry. She loves him but she throws books at him, Harry can't understand what she honestly wants from him… Izzieq, you have a point, and hopefully this chapter will seek some answers to your questions.

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Chapter 4: Are you or are you not?

Two weeks had passed since the night at the Weasley's, when all hell had broken loose, everything changed. The quiet flat on number 30 Warren Street would never be the same again.

The neighbors had never complained about shouts coming from flat number 30, not until now. They heard the muffled shouts at noon and they heard loud shouting and cursing clearly in the evenings. But the worst was sound of loud sobs, pounding on the walls and things breaking, echoing from behind the walls.

It was Friday, and extremely late, for both muggles and wizards alike.

Harry had stormed into the Living Room, looking angrily in every direction. He was sure he had left his Game-Charts somewhere in the flat, but he wasn't able to find them since he had started looking for them that morning. He was now looking in some of the drawers, while scattering things all over the floor.

A soft *pop* was heard as Hermione apparated into the flat from work, extremely tired. She started to walk toward him, as she saw his body bent over franticly searching for something. Suddenly, she gave a loud shriek; Hermione had tripped over something and fell face down on the cluttered floor.

Harry, who didn't hear her arrive, spun around quickly when he heard her. He looked down at the now very irritated Hermione. All he could do was offer her his hand, which she didn't take. She stood up by herself and glared at him.

"Harry James Potter," Hermione said through gritted teeth, "how many times have I told you not to leave things lying around the house," her voice rising.

"It was a mistake, I didn't notice. I was looking for my-" he said defensively.

"How could you not notice all these things? They are all over the floor!" she accused him, waving her hand at the mess.

"If you noticed it, don't blame me for your fall. You saw it was there," retorted Harry, trying to put the blame on her.

"What? Your saying that it's my fault I fell? Bloody hell Harry, can you hear what you're saying?" asked Hermione angrily

"I'm not deaf, and I can hear myself just fine! Don't try and blame me for your mistakes," snapped Harry.

"Oh! How stupid could I be? The great Harry Potter never makes mistakes, he's SO perfect, he can't do anything wrong. I guess I'm so stupid, it's a miracle I can even apparate home," Hermione said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Now you listen to me, I did not call you stupid. I only said it was you who made the mistake, and you should-" Harry was cut off by Hermione, who looked more shocked than ever.

"NO, YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME, MATE. If you hadn't made that mistake, you sure as hell made one now," she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Having nothing more to say, she walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Harry heard her lock it and mutter a few spells, which he was sure would prevent him from apparateing into the room or trying to get in by using any kind of magic.

"She has a lot of fire, that one, mate," someone's voice boomed out from behind him.

Harry turned around, so quickly he almost twisted his neck, and there he was face to face with Fred Weasley, whose head was positioned in the fireplace, smiling brightly.

"How long have you been there," Harry asked with a grim expression on his face.

"Let's just say that I've seen enough of your girlfriend's mood swings, to bring back all the nice memories of the times before Angie started to get as big as a house." He laughed, and by his expression, he didn't really mean the last part.

"I will feel very sorry for you if she's lurking somewhere behind you," Harry said warningly. Upon hearing those words, Fred's smiling face turned briefly around, then turned back to Harry.

"Nope, not there. I will be able to hear her if she's coming, probably yelling and complaining about how it's my fault she's that big." His smile was getting bigger by the minute, and Harry didn't understand why.

"I don't get you sometimes. Your wife is pregnant and cranky most of her waking hours, yet you are thrilled about it. Why?" Harry asked, curious to hear his response.

"For one thing, it's funnier. It's the times she gets really cynical and doesn't make any sense at all that I laugh, behind her back, of course. And secondly, when Angelina is mad, she becomes all emotional and starts crying and blaming herself, and I get out of every single fight as the winner." He smiled, feeling proud of his wife's lack of emotional stability.

"Now you are starting to scare me." Harry took a step back.

"Hermione starts to remind me of Angie in the first two weeks, getting upset at every single thing, then running to the bedroom crying her eyes out. Be careful mate, next thing she will be throwing up everywhere." He said with a smirk.

Harry looked at him weirdly, a sick expression on his face.

For the past two weeks Hermione had been yelling and fighting with him, then locking herself in the bedroom and crying. What if she starts getting sick? that can only mean one thing. But it's not possible; they were careful, weren't they?

'Oh lord, what have I done?' he thought startlingly.

"You ok, mate?" asked a worried Fred, who stopped talking as soon as he saw the look on Harry's face.

"Fred! It can't be, it's not possible," Harry replied, absolutely terrified.

"What are you talking about, Harry? What's not possible?" Fred asked again.

"SHE!" he yelled.

"What?" Fred started to think Harry was going crazy.

"She's been very sick in the last few mornings, I could see how green she was when she left the bathroom." Harry approached the fireplace, and whispered.

"WHAT?!" Fred yelled.

"Shh! Be quiet." Harry responded with panic, afraid that Hermione will come out and start asking questions. But Fred didn't care, he was too happy.

"Oh just wait until Mum hears this! She will get a stroke, and Ron! They will-" Fred's whispering voice was cut off, as another head joined him in the fireplace.

"Harry Potter! You did what?" Angelina shouted, as Fred put a hand to his ear. Angelina Weasley, a very angry one at that, was staring at him.

"I-" He tried to explain.

"You what? Irresponsible... idiot... what?" She snapped.

"No! I didn't-" He tried to explain again.

"You know what? I don't want to listen! I'm telling Molly." And now he was doomed.

"Sorry, mate, I'll try and stop her. If everyone is at your place in fifteen minutes, don't say I didn't try." Fred said apologetically.

* * * * * *

As the fire died down, and Fred's head had vanished, Harry kicked all the things from the middle of the Living Room aside, his Game-Charts long forgotten on the table. He sank into the nearest armchair, deep in thought, staring blankly at the muggle clock.

After 5 minutes of staring, a loud *crack* was heard, and Fred stood in front of him.

"Listen mate, she went crazy! Total mental, I say. She sent an urgent owl to Mum, she told Ron through the floo-network, and she was about to apparate over to Ginny's when I left. So expect Ron to be the first to arrive, he went into some kind of shock just to warn you. Give Mum ten minutes, and Ginny will be the last one." Fred said quickly.

"But why will Ginny be last?" Harry asked, confused. "I thought she apparated to her house?" He eyed Fred.

"Well," He said breaking into a big grin, "I let her sit down on the couch, it will take her quite some time to get up." He laughed.

Suddenly a *pop* was heard in the Living Room and Lavender appeared; she was still in her nightclothes.

"Harry, is it true?! I need to know, is she really?" She asked worriedly, but he could see a slight smile.

"I don't know, I wasn't sure. By what Fred told me, it seemed-" He was cut off by another *crack*.

"You!" Ron stood there, his wand pointing at Harry. As he was becoming angrier his face became as red as his hair.

"Ron, Calm down." Harry tried.

"No I won't! You got my best-friend pregnant!" He yelled, the vein in his forehead threatening to pop out.

"That's just the thing! I didn't. Fred told me-" He didn't get to finish the sentence, because Ron's anger was boiling.

"I don't want to hear it! When you got together you promised me you wouldn't hurt her, and you broke that promise Harry! She's sitting in her room, crying!" He accused him angrily.

"Ron! Listen to me. She's crying because-" Harry didn't have any luck talking today, this time it was a loud boom that was heard and the fire rose in the fireplace. The very angry faces of Molly, still in her nightgown, and a shocked Arthur were looking at him.

"Harry James Potter! I raised you as my own son, loved you and looked after you when you left school. And to think you listened all those times when we talked to you! This is how you repay me, with this! You're not even married!"

"Mum, I didn't." Harry tried to say, but she didn't looked convinced.

"Dad, you don't believe I would do such thing, right?" He looked at him, his voice begging.

"I'm sorry son," Arthur told him, "But I don't know what to believe."

He kept looking at him in shock.

"Don't lie Harry. I know you wanted to get her pregnant, because it was the only way she will agree to marry you. You told me yourself two weeks ago; you wanted to, and she didn't. That is just... just... low!" Ron said with a disgusted look on his face.

"RON!" came a yelling voice from behind him, and he turned around to come face to face with his sister. Ginny, Draco and Angelina were all standing there; Ginny had a very disappointed look on her face.

"Ginny, finally you're here-" She didn't let him finish.

"Shut it Ron." He looked at her in amazement, "Do you want to marry her, Harry?" She asked softly, reaching for his hands.

"Yes" He replied, not thinking twice about the answer.

"And did you get her pregnant?" She asked anxiously.

"I'm not sure, I think I didn't. But if Fred was right, maybe I did. And I didn't do it because I wanted to force her to marry me!" He said the last part while glaring at Ron.

"What do you mean you don't know? Either you did or you didn't!" Ron scolded him, a little calmer now.

"I'm sorry, Ron! But I didn't have the chance to ask her yet!" Harry yelled, getting really fed up with Ron's behavior.

* * * * * *

Hermione had been sitting in her room the whole time, still crying from her argument with Harry. The moment she entered the bedroom, she put every single spell on it she knew. She couldn't hear what was going outside, and he couldn't hear what was going on inside.

She stayed in there for almost an hour, thinking about how silly it was. He just made a little mess, and she had freaked out like there was no tomorrow.

She got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face and take a quick shower. When she was done she changed into her favorite pants (an old pair of Harry's Quidditch trainers) and one of his T-shirts (which he told her not to wear because then he would have nothing to wear) and headed towards the door.

The minute she opened it she was met by the shouting row of Ron and Harry. She looked around very confused, and a little shocked too. She heard the last two sentences Ron and Harry were exchanging just before she stepped fully into the room.

"What's going on here, Harry? You need to ask who what?" She asked, a little startled.

Everyone in the room turned to look at her, all with worried looks on their faces. She didn't look at anyone but Harry, her confusion growing by the minute. The silence was broken by a group of worried voices.

"Hermione, dear, we heard what was going on. Are you all right? Are felling well?" Molly asked her worriedly.

"Err, fine, Molly," She answered slowly, "its no big deal really-" She tried to explain.

"No big deal! No big deal! Have you gone mad?" Ron snapped, "After what he did to you?" He looked at her as if she was mental.

"Ron, what are you going on about? Harry and I had a small problem, and I came out here to sort it out." She said, and then looked at Harry for an explanation.

"SMALL PROBLEM!" He shouted, "Let's see how small it is in eight months." He was now looking angrily between Harry and Hermione.

"Ron! What's got into you?!" She asked, almost smacking his head off (to his great luck, her wand was still in the bedroom).

"Don't act like you don't know!" He yelled. Molly looked as though she was about to faint, and Arthur felt like he was going insane.

"HAVE YOU ALL GONE BLOODY MAD?!" She shouted as hard as she could, making them all jump in surprise and fall silent. "Now," she said more calmly, "Harry and I had a small argument earlier-" She informed them.

"I wouldn't call it small, you were threatening to rip the poor lad's arms out," laughed Fred.

"And-" She narrowed her eyes at him, "I came in here and saw you all yelling at him about it, like a bunch of Doxys!" She snapped, walking over to where Harry stood and clinging to him.

Harry was overjoyed by Hermione's sudden interest in him; usually she would let them all yell at him and just sit back and enjoy it all.

"Hermione, we are not talking about the argument..." Ron said more calmly.

"Then what was it? Because I'm really tired." She said, urging him to answer. But Ron was too confused to answer. Ginny answered instead.

"Herm, I can't tell you the whole thing, but I will tell you what I know.

Fred was talking to Harry today, and in some bizarre way, Harry got the impression that you are, well, pregnant . . ."

After that part Ginny stopped talking and looked at Hermione, who was looking at the ground, trying to avoid everyone's eyes, especially Harry's.

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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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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: To all the reviewers, thank you for your feedback! It has been an amazing couple of weeks, reading all of the wonderful, blissful, things you wrote. The Out of Hogwarts series has ended, so enjoy the sixth and last chapter!

* * * * *

Chapter 6: A Discovery

Morning came and sunlight broke through the windows into number 30 Warren Street in London. It had been almost three weeks since the last quiet dinner at The Burrow, two weeks since all hell broke loose and a couple of blissful days since they had actually seen one of the red-haired family's members. Nevertheless, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were not complaining. It had been the most awful two weeks of their lives. Even Voldemort would have run away screaming after an hour of the birds and the bees conversation with both Mr and Mrs Weasley.

The Weasley clan had taken it upon themselves to re-educate their two "adopted children". They had all been shocked by Hermione's refusal to be forced into marriage. Parenting seminars, a lot of books that shared the word "Abstinence" in their titles and many family interventions - the list shortened to just a few of the things the couple had suffered in only one week. Hermione, being her usual stubborn self, had refused to open the pregnancy test's results. After she had held her ground for a week and a half, claiming repeatedly that this was the couple's private matter, the Weasleys had given up.

Now, two days of complete silence had passed, and she had yet to open it. Harry was starting to lose his patience, torn between not wanting to pressure his partner and the need to know what his future held; the inner conflict was killing him. On the third day, deciding that enough was enough, he left.

He left for a walk. Two days without seeing the outside world could be hard, but two days sitting at home and staring at that god-forsaken envelope were worse. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he had stood up and declared he was going for a walk.

Hermione, who had remained seated at the table, couldn't bring herself to look at the results. If she really was pregnant, had it been necessary to take that test? She was a woman, who understood her body, so why on earth did she need a test to tell her whether she was pregnant? The magical pregnancy charm had confirmed it, even though it was known to be accurate only 90 per cent of the times.

Everyone had simply blown the event out of proportion. A baby was a blissful thing, a gift!

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, they can all bite me," she mumbled fiercely and tore open the envelope.

* * * * *

In the meantime, somewhere else in London, Harry was making his way down a busy street. And it happened to be Oxford Street in the Muggle part of London City, a place where all those Muggle nutters went to sell and buy weird appliances, much like the wizards in Diagon Alley. He stopped once or twice to glance at a few window displays, not taking much interest in what the shops had to offer. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Hermione and the little Potter.

He was passing one particular shop when he came to an abrupt stop. Glancing up at the name of the shop and the window, he smiled. There was no other way to put her mind to rest. Hermione wasn't scared of having the baby; she was scared of losing what she had. Even after he told her that he would love them both, she was afraid he wouldn't stick around. Silly witch ... He was going to sort out all that nonsense she had gathered in her head.

* * * * *

Harry stepped out of the shop and made his way to a deserted space from which he could Apparate home.

Hermione was still sitting at their kitchen table, tears in her eyes. The envelope lay torn on the table, a crumpled sheet of parchment next to it.

A loud crack sounded from the sitting room, startling Hermione. She stood up and glanced toward the area where Harry had appeared out of thin air. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hello luv," he chirped.

Hermione smiled weakly but didn't respond; her legs felt wobbly and her throat was too dry to speak. Harry saw her expression and crossed the room toward her, reaching out for her with one hand. Just as he got near enough, he noticed the letter lying opened on the table. He stopped, dropping his hand.

"Oh," he stated meekly as she nodded.

Still silence.

Harry saw the tears in her eyes and the way she was staring at him expectantly. He knew what he had to do to make her fears go away. Swallowing hard, he stepped closer to her, smiling faintly. Hermione gave him a strange look. Then, he did the most unexpected thing. He knelt down in front of her on one knee. Her eyes widened.

But, as he pulled out a ring from his pocket, she couldn't contain herself any longer. What started as a giggle soon turned into hysterical laughter. Harry, looking very offended, stood and stared at her with wide eyes. First, she made declarations of wanting him to take her more seriously, and then when he is, she laughed in his face. He didn't know which was worse, this or Malfoy.

"Oh, get a grip, woman!" he snapped, looking crossly at her.

"What?" she giggled.

"Can't you be serious for one second?" He stomped his foot in anger. "I'm trying to pass a moment here!"

Hermione wiped a few tears from her cheeks and smiled widely. "Sorry, darling, go on."

"I don't feel like it anymore - you completely ruined the moment."

She smiled lovingly at him and reached out to place her arms on his shoulders, gaining another huff from him. "Harry …"

"What? No, 'Mione, you'll only laugh at my expense again." He turned his head away from her, trying not to look into her eyes.

"I wasn't laughing at you, Harry. I was … well … maybe just a little bit."

He huffed at her and turned to walk into the sitting room.

"Gee, that sure makes me feel so much better now!" he chided sarcastically. "Maybe I'll make a joke too, next time one of your patients dies."

Hermione ignored his last remark, stopping herself from commenting. He would not get the worst of her, not right now. Instead of throwing him a dirty look, she smiled kindly. She took a seat at one of the armchairs in the sitting room, watching him pace back and forth.

"I'm sorry, darling, would you sit down?"

"No!" he snapped.

She took a deep breath. "Harry, sit down, please… Harry… Oh, for Merlin's sake, stop pacing, you're making me dizzy!"

Harry came to a halt and stared at her; clearly, she had something to say. He sat down at the coffee table, facing her with a disapproving look on his face. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

The dizzy feeling remained, and Hermione was starting to become seriously light-headed. She had always been the strong one, even in the worst of times. However, what she had to tell him could be the best news, or it can be the most terrible news in a long time. Why hadn't she just owled him those bloody results?

"I love you," she said first.

He stared at her in confusion. She fidgeted uncomfortably, looking straight at him.

"That's important, right?" she said. "Yes, it sure is. If we did not love each other, we would not have been sleeping together. In addition, none of this would have happened; the Weasleys would not have gone bonkers and you would not have proposed to me! Isn't that funny?" she tried to hide the nervousness in her voice by joking and rambling.

Harry continued to look at her questioningly.

"Alright, hmm, not that funny, I guess. Well, you see, what I meant was that maybe it would be better if nothing had happened. This whole past month has been awful, darling, for both of us. They all cornered you that night, even thought it wasn't your fault." She placed her hand over his and sighed. "Harry, you didn't need to propose to me, or read any of those silly books, just to please them. I don't want you to feel cornered, forced into something, again. You need to do what feels natural for you …"

The words came out of her mouth, but the look on her face did not match them. He noticed the anxiety rising in her eyes, the tight smile she was trying to maintain. What was she playing at? Rambling about how this was not his fault, how he shouldn't have proposed to her ... She was sending him mixed signals. With her eyes, she confirmed her love, but with her mouth, she was asking him to leave. He felt his anger boiling.

"I proposed to you because I love you, Hermione, and not for any other reason," he retorted heatedly, standing up again. "Why won't you just accept that? It's not because of our little maybe baby, or because I was pressured into this. But if you have other plans, then -"

"Harry …"

"- you should just spit it out. Maybe it's you who's scared of commitment - it certainly isn't me. You never take me seriously, not since the final battle. Everything always seems like a joke," he raged on.

"But we accept," she tried to answer.

"No, Hermione, I don't accept it. How could you possibly think I would? Your whole perception of me is wrong on so many levels, why would you -"

"Be quiet, you git!" she snapped, a wide smile playing on her lips. He went quiet and stared at her once again with an expression of bewilderment.

"We accept, Harry," she repeated quietly.

"You ...?" he wondered.

"Yes, we ..."

Harry continued to look at her dumbly. His mind was racing, feverishly trying to derive a conclusion.

"You mean 'we' as in 'us' ... two people?"

Hermione leaned back in her armchair and laughed. Then she patted her stomach lightly and leaned down (as much as she could) and whispered, "Clever bloke, your father, isn't he?"

She saw Harry's eyes widen in surprise, his mouth forming a gaping "O". It took him a few seconds to realise what she had just said and to accept the idea of really having a baby. He and Hermione were going to be parents. There was going to be a little creature who would look up to him and share Hermione's inelegance. How amazing could that be?

"We have a little Rudolf?" he blabbed.

"What?" Hermione giggled.

Harry snapped out of his shock and laughed. "If it's a boy, we should name him after Rudolf Brand."

"Harry, I'm not naming my child Rudolf!"

"Gwendolyn Morgan, if it's a girl?"

Hermione shook her head and laughed. "You're impossible! No, Harry, we're not naming our children after some silly Quidditch players."

"Children, eh?" Harry gave her a sly grin.

"Shut up," she giggled in reply. "You prat …"

He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead; she sighed in reply. As his lips found their way onto hers, his hand went up to tangle in her hair. She returned her affection by circling her hands around his neck, smiling against his lips. What started as an innocent kiss soon grew to a heated exchange of affection, causing various groans and moans to escape them, each of them nearly forcing themselves on the other with urgency, as though they had forgotten about the life-changing event that had occurred in the past few minutes.

A few seconds passed as Hermione started to giggle and squeal. "Harry! No… sweetheart, no. Harry, the baby!"

"What?" He pulled away, an alarmed look on his face.

"Nothing …"

They stared at each other.

She was the first to burst into giggles - his expression was priceless. It seemed as if they had both gone crazy. They sat laughing on the floor of the sitting room, looking confusedly at each other. Marriage, a child on the way ... what was Merlin playing at? How could anyone even begin to imagine being the parent of one of these silly creatures? A responsible parent as well ... was that even possible?

Hermione took a deep breath and smiled back at Harry. "Do you think we're ready?"

"Yeah," he replied without hesitation.

"But aren't we a bit young, Harry?" She looked at him worriedly, but he only smiled reassuringly at her.

"We've grown enough, now that we've been out of Hogwarts for ten years."

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Author's Notes:

Hello everyone!

After reading some of the reviews for the last chapter, I think I haven't made myself clear about the chapter's thing. Chapter six was the last chapter, and will not have a follow-up. For me, actually writing the sixth chapter was a huge deal, this story has been on hiatus for two years up to now.

Sorry if I'm disappointing some of you… /:

Stay in touch, a new fic is in the works.

Snidget-And-Co.

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