A/N: To say that I am humbled by the response the first chapter got wouldn't even begin to cover my gratefulness. From the bottom of my heart, thanks! I hope this one pleases you as well.
As always, many thanks to my beta Unbloomed for her brilliant work on this chapter.
HERMIONE'S BABY
CHAPTER TWO: A DECISION IS MADE
Luna simply nodded. "It was only a matter of time before you two ended up together. It's practically written in the stars." She patted his hand affectionately. "Give her a few days to cool off and then talk to her again. She'll come around."
"Thanks, Luna."
0-0
A week had gone by and Harry still hadn't heard from Hermione. He still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Hermione could rationalize things to death, but this was a bit crazy, even for her. He needed to see and talk to her. He missed her and it only served to bring home a good point. He fancied his best-friend more than he had realized.
He'd had no idea that Hermione wanted to have a child. For her to go to such extremes meant that she was more than ready to start a family, even if it was on her own. Leave it to Hermione to take the future in her own hands and not wait for destiny to bring her what she desired most. That driven nature was one of Hermione's most attractive traits. She always had a purpose and nothing got in her way once she made up her mind about something. Appearances be damned.
If he was honest with himself, the thought of fathering Hermione's child held a lot of appeal. Hermione was a very special woman and he would hate for her to go through such an important event alone. For the past fourteen years, Hermione's constant presence had meant the difference between life and death for him. Not once had she ever left his side, even when she didn't agree with his ideas. No one else could claim that. It was time he did something to repay her loyalty and kindness.
Besides, he'd wanted to settle down for a while since most of his friends were paired off and happy. He'd wanted a family to call his own for as long as he could remember. His problem, however, lay in his fame. Every woman he met or was introduced to couldn't get past who he was. None of them wanted to know the real Harry. Instead, they just wanted to be seen in the arm of the Chosen One.
Frankly, he was tired of it. It had been more than six months since he had gone out on a date. His friends knew better than to try to set him up. The only women in his life were Hermione, Luna, Ginny and his surrogate mother, Mrs. Weasley. Now he had a chance to extend his family with a child of his own.
Ron and Luna had one-year-old Matthew. Draco and Ginny had six-months-old Elizabeth. He was sure once Neville married Susan, they would also try for a baby right away. They were all happy. Maybe having a baby with Hermione would not be conventional and it would surprise many, but he was all for it. Besides, commitment and parenthood had changed all of his friend's lives for the better.
He'd thought long and hard about the situation. He'd visited Ron and Luna and they had discussed the situation at length. He had both of his friend's support and for that he was immensely grateful. He'd though about talking to Ginny and Draco, but decided against it since he didn't want Hermione's secret to be common knowledge, even amongst her friends. It would only serve to push her further away and that was not an option.
Since it was Saturday, he decided to go find her. They needed to have a long talk and make some decision. He wasn't willing to wait any longer. The longer he waited, the more excuses Hermione would be able to come with. That brain of hers was a dangerous thing at times. He knew just where to find her and after showering and dressing comfortably, he left his flat and headed out.
He arrived at a little out of the way bookstore in a quiet London street and paused for a moment before walking in. Taking a deep breath, he prepared for the upcoming conversation. He had a feeling Hermione would not be pleased to see him at first, but he wouldn't let that get in his way. He had to make her see reason.
He finally opened the door and it tinkled softly announcing his arrival. An elderly man was sitting behind the counter and smiled his greeting before going back to his book. Harry started walking towards the back looking for a mane of chestnut curls. His gut feeling told him she would be in there immersed in some out of print or first edition tome. How she'd found the quaint little store was beyond him.
He headed towards the far corner, where he knew there were some comfy chairs. As he rounded the corner, he stopped in his tracks to just admire her. She was curled into one of the chairs, legs tucked under her, reading glasses in place, as she read from a small, delicate looking book. Her hair was pulled haphazardly into a bun, kept in place by a pencil. She was wearing soft looking jeans with a rip on one knee and a small tee that hugged all of her curves. Her trusty leather loafers were on the floor as well as her laptop bag.
"Fancy meeting you here," he said, startling her.
Hermione looked up at him, open mouthed, unsure of what to say or do. She took off her reading glasses and folded them before laying them and the book on top of the table by her chair.
"How did you find me?" she asked casually, hoping her voice didn't betray her. She wasn't sure what else to say.
"Not hard to do, knowing you as well as I do. Mind if I sit down?"
Without waiting for her approval, he sat on the chair next to hers.
"What are you doing here, Harry?" she asked without preamble. She wasn't into playing games.
"I'd think that would be quite obvious, Hermione. I'm here to talk to you. I've gone along with your avoidance of the matter at hand all week, but enough is enough. I'm here to finish that conversation we started."
Hermione nodded and looked down at her clasped hands. It figured the he wouldn't leave it alone, she thought.
"I don't even know where to start, to be honest," she finally admitted.
"Why don't you start at the beginning? What brought this on?"
"Matthews's birthday."
"Our godson's birthday? How come?"
"He's a year old, Harry, and sometimes it feels as if he was just born yesterday. Then there's Lizzie, six-months old already. I'm sure the minute Neville and Susan marry they will have a child as well. It just brought home that I'm alone and at the rate I'm going, I'm never going to have a child of my own."
"So you decided to take your future into your own hands and speed things along?"
"Something like that."
"And you would rather have a baby by some unknown stranger than let me help you?"
Hermione finally looked up and their eyes locked.
"It's not that I don't appreciate your help, Harry. Honestly, I am deeply honoured that you would be willing to go along with this. However, I can't have you sacrificing yourself to make me happy."
"Excuse my bluntness here, Hermione, but who gives you the right to decide that for me? As brilliant as you are, you can't possibly know how I feel about this since you haven't given me the time of day as of late. What makes you think that this is something I don't want as much as you?"
Hermione just stared at him, unable to move or say anything. It had been kind of arrogant of her to assume he would be opposed to the idea.
"Do you want to get out of here and go for a walk? It might help," Harry suggested when the silence stretched for several minutes.
Hermione just nodded and started putting on her shoes. She stood up and went to grab her bag, but Harry beat her to it and grabbed it first. He settled the strap over his shoulder and signaled for her to go first after she had gathered her other personal items.
Hermione paused at the counter to say goodbye to the elderly man. "I'll probably see you next weekend, John. It was good to see you again."
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Miss Hermione. Come by any time you want."
"Thank you."
"Is this your young man?" he asked with a smile as he looked over at Harry.
Before Hermione could answer, Harry stretched his hand and shook John's. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. John. My name is Harry."
"Good to meet you as well, lad. Good choice, Miss Hermione. A young man with manners is hard to find now a days."
"Oh, but he's not…"
"I hope we see you again soon, Mr. John. Right now we're in a bit of a hurry, since I'm taking this beautiful young woman to lunch and we have reservations."
"Move along then and have fun. Mustn't get in the way of young love!"
Before Hermione could say something to the contrary, as Harry was well aware she would do, he put his hand on the small of her back and pushed her gently towards the door. John smiled at them as he waved goodbye.
Hermione waited until they were a couple of blocks from the store before voicing her protest. It didn't help that Harry's hand was still nestled possessively on her back.
"That was completely unnecessary."
"It was fun, admit it," he joked.
"You didn't see me laughing, did you?"
"Perhaps, but Mr. John seemed to like it. Besides, he said I was a well mannered young man and old people know best."
"That's simply because he doesn't know you or the tomfoolery you're so fond of."
Harry laughed as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Oh, come on, `Mione, loosen up and have some fun."
"You're a git."
"But you love me just the same."
"Yeah, you should be grateful for that, you silly man."
Harry kissed her temple and smiled. "I love you, too, `Mione."
She smiled. There was no point in continuing to pretend to be mad at him. He was in a good mood and nothing would change that.
"Are you really taking me to lunch? I didn't eat breakfast and I'm starving."
"Of course I'm taking you to eat something. You're too skinny as it is. I don't know how you can go so many hours without eating."
"I eat when I remember to. I'm just so busy all the time that sometimes I forget."
"We'll have to work on that. I can't have you not eating properly now that we're going to have a child."
"Harry…" she began, but he cut her off.
"You might as well get used to the idea, Hermione. I'm not going to give up until I have you convinced this is the way to go."
"Fine."
"Does that mean you agree?"
"No! It simply means that I'm too hungry to think properly right now. I don't argue unless I know I'm going to win."
"I'm sad to inform you that this time you won't win, Miss Granger."
"Humph!"
0-0
"Do you think he'll convince her?" Ron asked Luna as they strolled down the park.
Matthew slept in his baby carriage as Ron pushed. Luna had her arm wrapped around his and her head was resting on his shoulder.
"I think he will. Our Hermione is a stubborn one, but if someone can break through those walls, it's Harry. When has she ever said no to him?"
Ron thought about that for a moment.
"I can't really think of a time. She's always had a soft spot for him in her heart and goes along with him just to make him happy. Even the times she didn't agree with him and thought we'd be in peril of death, she went along."
"Exactly! I know she's scared and doesn't think it's fair to involve him, but I think she's wrong. Harry loves her more than she knows and I know he'd be keen on settling down with her. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at her. He's quite smitten and he isn't always so good at hiding it. I don't think he realizes the depth of his feeling either, but he will."
"I think I've know for years as well. Maybe he didn't ask her out because we dated, but it wouldn't bother me one bit. I wouldn't change my life for anything. I have the most wonderful wife a man could ask for and Matthew just completed that happiness. I want the same thing for them."
"Oh, Ronald, sometimes you have such a way with words it's all I can do not to jump you right here and now!"
Ron smiled down at his wife. "I'm all for jumping. Just wait until we get home a little later."
Luna laughed joyfully.
0-0
Harry watched Hermione as she licked the spoon once again. He'd ordered her a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake not knowing it would be sheer torture to watch her eat it.
Did the minx not notice how affected he was watching that pink tongue lick the spoon clean over and over again?
"Are you done yet?" he asked in a voice that sounded strained even to him.
"Almost," she answered as she put the last piece in her mouth and closed her eyes while savoring it.
Harry's member stirred. He couldn't help it. He took a cautious look around and noticed more than one patron ensnared by her actions. Men and women alike! A woman went as far as smacking her husband on the side of the head with the menu. Harry had to stifle a laugh.
He couldn't blame them, though. Hermione had let her hair lose and the curly waves reached the middle of her back. The overhead light reflected off the golden strands nestled amongst the chestnut ones. Even dressed comfortably as she was, she managed to attract attention to herself and she didn't even notice.
Hermione finished and smiled at him. "I think I'm done. It was a lovely lunch, so thank you for bringing me. I can't remember the last time I ate so much."
"No kidding. Even Ron would have been impressed by it."
Her laugh was melodious and he found himself laughing along. It was at times like this that he knew his decision was the right one.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked once the waiter had removed their plates.
"A walk sounds like a good plan. We can finish our talk then."
"Do we really have to?" she asked with a pout.
"Yes, so don't bother with the pout. It usually works, but not today."
"Spoil sport."
"Umm hmm."
The waiter came back with the receipt and Harry signed it. After leaving a nice tip on the table, he stood and pulled Hermione's chair back. She stood up graciously and allowed him to lead her out of the restaurant.
Once outside, he took her hand again and led her in the direction of the park. This time, she followed along, smiling happily at being away from her office and spending time with her best friend, even if he could be an atrocious boar at times. The thought made her giggle.
"What seems to be so funny, Miss Granger?" he inquired while smiling down at her.
`Oh, nothing much. I'm just enjoying the day and the company."
"That's good to know. Do you want to walk around for a bit or sit down?"
"Walk. I'm too full and a slow stroll will help me."
"Slow stroll it is."
They walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other and their surroundings. Hermione was used to holding Harry's hand, so it didn't bother her in the least to do so as they walked. Harry was swinging their clasped hands playfully between them when he noticed a redheaded man and his blonde companion walking towards them.
"Aren't those Ron and Luna, `Mione?"
"I think they are. It'd be too much of a coincidence. Let's go say hi."
As they approached the other couple, Luna looked up and noticed them. She waved enthusiastically and Ron grinned.
"Hey! What a lovely surprise to see you here," Luna greeted as she kissed them both.
"It's lovely to see you as well," Hermione responded.
She gave Ron a kiss and immediately forgot about them when she spotted Matthew. He was finally awake and smiling up at his godmother. She stroked his cheek softly and he grabbed on to her finger. She ticked him and he laughed merrily. He lifted both arms to her and she immediately took him out of the carriage and held him close to her body, all the while cooing at him and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. Matthew loved the attention and it showed.
Harry, Ron and Luna watched her and each other, speaking with their eyes. Luna leaned back against her husband and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Harry watched her for a few moments before tearing his gaze away. He could picture her with their child, doing the same things, and it made his resolve stronger.
He would find a way to convince her that he was her only choice to have a child.
He just had to.
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