A/N: This just tumbled out of me and I wrote it in roughly an hour. It's not exactly the style I normally write but I guess it kind of works. Enjoy!
Summary: Not my typical writing style but I encourage you to read it anyway. Hermione is late, which she never is… Well, at least she keeps it in the family…
Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related, it's all J.K. Rowling's.
Secrets you take to the grave
She had no idea what her life had come to. After defeating Voldemort everything had been going so well, she had been happier than ever and all was well with the world. All until last Friday, that dreadful day would forever be edged into her memory.
It had been 10:43 precise when her entire world collapsed and turned upside down. It was a normal day, one without specialties. No rain, no rough wind but a light summer breeze that made her check her sundress before she would go out, to make sure that it wouldn't show her underwear. She made a quick trip to the bathroom to relieve herself before she would go and meet Ginny at the Leaky Caldron for lunch and a small shopping spree.
That's when it hit her, how had she not noticed before, why had she not thought about it before? How long had it been? Six days, seven, or perhaps nine already? This had never happened before.
Her period had always been like clockwork, except for the year they had been on the run. Her food consummation that year had been sparse, which had made her period even sparser.
"Fuck," She cursed while lifting up her panties. She would need to buy a pregnancy test on the way to meet Ginny. Ginny would be over the moon, if it turned out to be true, which would be a miracle if it wasn't, she was never late, never.
Fleeing from her home, she apparated to the nearest apparition point next to some muggle stores. Determining pregnancy by wand was a common thing but sometimes she choose to still do some things the muggle way. For her it was a way of obtaining a foot in the muggle world, to not severe the connection entirely. Probably because of her parents, she still hoped they would remember someday, a foolish thing, of course she knew, it didn't stop her from hoping though.
The shame she felt while buying the pregnancy test wasn't understood by the woman behind the counter, she was all smiles and encouragement for this to be true. Ever since she had strengthened herself within the field of legilimency and occlumency, she was able to read faces a lot better, especially from muggles, they were an open book.
Tucking away the test in her charmed purple bag, that she still carried around daily, she quickly made her way to apparition point again and apparated straight to the Leaky Caldron. Ginny was already waiting for her behind the Daily Prophet and with a steamy mug of tea in front of her.
"Hermione!" Ginny jumped up and hugged her with affection and enthusiasm, as if they hadn't seen each other yesterday.
"Hello," She whispered against the red heads cheek and Ginny knew immediately that something was wrong.
"Not here," She flicked her eyes around the place, already spotting familiar faces. Ginny nodded and lodged her outside, towards Diagon Alley, her tea long forgotten.
"You're worrying me 'Mione," The nickname only inflicted pain because if Ginny knew the truth, she wouldn't use it with affection. Not that she was going to tell the truth, but still.
The shopping went by a lot faster than it would have gone, would she not carry around such a burden. Not that the child would be a burden, Merlin no.
After the shopping they decided to skip lunch and apparate straight to Ginny's house, her own would be too confronting at the moment. And what if Ron came home early, you never knew with those auror hours. It was still a risk that Harry would show up at his own home but at the moment she rather confront the man that felt like a brother than her actual husband.
"And now spill," Ginny demanded when they reached the living room, dropping their bags next to the couch.
"I'm pregnant," She paused a second while Ginny's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "At least I think I am." She finished.
"But that's amazing! Right? Why are you not happy?" Ginny was rightly confused, she didn't understand, she already had two children. "Ron does want children, does he not?"
Yes, Ron was not the problem here. "Yes, of course Ron wants children. I haven't done the test yet, it wasn't planned."
Ron definitely wanted children, he would be over the moon. She was the one who had held it off, not entirely sure if she even wanted children and still too focused on her career.
"Don't worry then, Ron will be happy, I'm sure of it. Do you want me to perform the charm?" She had already drawn her wand, ready for the news to be positive.
"I have a pregnancy test, I bought on my way over, I've just been postponing." She opened her purple bag and it didn't take her long to find the pink flat box that contained the truth.
"Is that muggle? Aren't charms faster?" Of course Ginny wouldn't understand why she would want to do this the muggle way. She couldn't blame her, she grew up as a pureblood, magic was the only way she knew.
"I'll do the muggle way first and then you can perform the spell after, okay?" Ginny nodded, clearly not understanding her.
"How do you use it?"
"You pee on it."
"On the box?" Ginny was proper confused now.
"No, there's a stick inside, you pee on it and then you wait five minutes."
"Okay, let's do it." She was already on her way towards the bathroom and Hermione figured that she wouldn't get to do this privately. But maybe that's the reason why she told Ginny, because she didn't want to do this alone, no matter the circumstances.
The next ten minutes or so where pure agony, she didn't want to find out and yet she knew that she had to. Peeing on the stick was nerve wrecking, especially with Ginny watching her. She had never been the type of girl to go the bathroom with an encore, but for now it was okay, calming in a way.
"Well?" Ginny couldn't contain her excitement.
"It's positive."
"Yes, I'm going to be an auntie." Yes, well it certainly stayed within the family.
"I'm going to be a mother." She couldn't apprehend it yet, it was all too surreal. Hermione Jean Granger was going to be a mother at the age of twenty-five. This was not how her life had been planned out. Children hadn't been on her agenda for at least ten years. Witches aged a lot slower than muggles which gave her plenty of time to have children later in life.
"You are going to keep it right?" This was the first time that Ginny seemed to grasp that she wasn't really happy with it, she just didn't know why.
"Of course I'm going to keep it," She huffed, very offended that Ginny would even ask such a thing.
"Good, are you afraid that Ron will be mad? I ensure that he won't be. Why are you not happy Hermione?" How could she explain to her sister in law, her husband's sister, that this baby might not be her brother's, at least not the one she thought?
He wouldn't find out though, he didn't need to find out, she could keep this a secret better than any other adulterer would ever be able to. Did that mean she could be happy? She would be happy, the more she acted out, the more it would be suspicious.
"Yes, I'm happy and Ron will be happy, I just needed to get used to the idea I guess, it's all so sudden." Ginny nodded enthusiastically again, like she understood it all.
That night she told Ron and like she already guessed, he was over the moon. He didn't ask her how long she was pregnant, he was just happy. He didn't second guess or wonder if the child was even his, there was still a small chance of course but she knew better. The test had said it, seven weeks pregnant. If it had been Ron's it would have said five weeks, not seven. It wouldn't matter now, he would never suspect, she was sure of it.
Five months later
"Well well, look who's been busy, congratulations brother." He didn't suspect a thing, he didn't even look at her, couldn't he do the math?
It was a hot summer day and her dress was already stretching around her round belly, she was growing fast.
"How far along are you Hermione?" Was he catching on?
"Almost seven months." He whistled, his eyes on her belly, still nothing to see in his eyes that gave a hint of suspicion, maybe she underestimated his intelligence?
Dinner went by swiftly and when it was time to retreat to the living room for some games and conversation she felt her arm being pulled and before she knew it, she was trapped in the pantry with a very familiar body.
They had enough room but he was tightly against her, trapping her between the shelves and himself. "Now tell me love, who's baby is this?" So he did suspect, he was just a very good actor.
She didn't hesitate. "Yours." His sharp intake of breath was loud. "But to everyone whom it concerns, it's Ron's."
"I understand." He did understand, that's why she told him. He wouldn't make a claim, he didn't want to commit, she knew him better than anyone else. He wanted to keep living the life he lived, with no strings.
"See that you do, this is never going to get out, not until Ron's death, do you hear me?"
"I hear you and you don't have anything to worry about, Ron will take good care of him, or her, as will you." She nodded.
"Thank you," She finally released the breath she partially had been holding, relieved that he wouldn't stake claim, and leaned against him.
"Can I kiss you now?" The grin on his face was still boyish and mischievous, that's what had drawn her to him.
"Yes, please."
They kissed, roughly, not caring that she was almost seven months pregnant, he didn't seem to care either. Before she knew it, he had moved her panties to the side and she was riding his fingers, like she had done so many times.
She knew they had to hurry because surely someone would come looking for them. Quickly she unbuckled his belt and she was already freeing his erection when she had to bite her lip to let the screams not echo through the small room.
"Cum for me love," He kissed her again and her shrieks of completion were swallowed by his hot mouth on hers.
He let her gain her breath for a second when he nudged her to turn around, which she couldn't do fast enough. She leaned forwards, taking on of the shelves to hold on to, within seconds he was sheeted deep inside her and it felt like coming home.
It was not that she didn't have sex often with Ron, it just wasn't very excitable. It was okay, like you had old cheese on bread, it wasn't bad but it didn't taste the way you wanted it to. His brother was like young cheese, the one that practically melted on your tongue and which you wanted more and more.
He quickly pistoled in and out of her, drawing more moans and whimpers from her throat. "Faster," She breathed in between moans.
He did go faster, and rougher, he was slightly thicker and longer than Ron was so he gave her just that stretch she was desperately looking for. It didn't take long for her second orgasm to crash down and he followed her in fast success.
"Fuck, it had been a while," He kissed the back of her neck, not minding the sweatiness.
"Yes, almost seven months," She snorted and he laughed with her.
She pushed her dress down and fixed her panties, using her wand to make them presentable again and to remove the smell of sex that surrounded them. Ron wouldn't suspect a thing.
Separately they moved into the kitchen again and were relieved to notice that everyone had moved to the living room. He went first and she stayed behind to drink a glass of water. When Ron came to collect her a few minutes later she told him that she felt light headed and needed some water. He believed her immediately and doted on her for the rest of the afternoon. She only felt slightly guilty.
Forty years later
"They look exactly alike," He was right, they did.
"Does that really surprise you?" They had never talked about it again, she hadn't seen him for over two years.
"I guess it shouldn't. Did Ron ever suspect?" He looked at her curiously and she noticed that he still looked very young, despite him being seventy-nine.
"No, he didn't, he died too young but he died a happy man, a proud father of two children."
"Only one was his," He looked back at the game of Quidditch in front of him.
"No," She didn't elaborate.
He looked at her in shock. "Both mine?"
"Yes, Charlie, both yours."
She smiled at him, and he smiled back.