Hermione was shoving books into one of the many bookcases by the time Ron got home.
He was surprised at seeing her in their house, considering the fact that she had told him she would be late.
"I thought you were going to be late for dinner?" Ron asked while carefully approaching his wife.
He knew that if Mione was rearranging a bookcase, there usually was something wrong. Ron loved bickering with her, but books meant business.
"I was," Hermione angrily put another book back on the shelves, "But then I got sick and they sent me home! I can't believe they would do that. If been working for three months towards this meeting, to finally discuss the rights of –" She broke of her sentence and stared blankly towards the books.
"The rights of ?" Ron pressed. He did not like the way Mione's face was slowly turning into one of disgust.
"I can't do this," she whispered, as she sat down on the sofa. "I can't do this," she repeated.
"Can't do what?" Ron sat down next to her and put an arm around her back.
"Mione, if this about some meeting then you'll be fine. Everyone knows not to mess with you and whatever creature you're defending will have a better life after the meeting."
"I can't go to the meeting." Hermione protested.
"Why not? If you got some kind of virus, you can always make a potion."
"It's not a virus."
Ron was starting to get agitated. If she wasn't ill, then why couldn't she just simply go to the meeting? He stared at Hermione's face for a while and figured it were her nerves that were keeping her from going.
"Mione, if you're nervous about all this, there's no need to-"
"I'm not nervous!"
"Then what's wrong?" Ron exclaimed. "You're ill?"
"Yes," she slowly awnsered.
"It's not a virus?"
"No, I'm-"
"Is it some kind of bug?"
"No, Ron, I-"
"It's not …"Ron looked uncomfortable now and his ears turned red. "That time of the month when-"
"No, Ron!" Hermione interrupted. She looked at him with blazing eyes. "It's not that!"
"Well, if it's neither of those than I can't understand what's keeping you from going!"
"It's not that I don't want to, I –"
"Well, I surely hope not. You've been working towards this for three months and now you're telling me that –"
"Don't you start arguing with me now, I'm not in the mood to argue. There's something I have to tell you," Hermione sighed.
Ron sat closer to her and lifted her face up.
"Mione, I'm sure whatever it is, we can handle it."
"Okay,"she agreed. "I'm pregnant."
"Seriously? That's amazing!" Ron hugged her closely and beamed at her.
"This is more than amazing! It's epic" Ron was now almost bouncing on the couch.
He had grown up in a big family and always known that he had wanted kids. Though maybe not as many as his parents had.
"That's what I thought at first," Hermione agreed, not catching up with Ron's happiness but staying in her own depressed mood.
"What do you mean at first?"
"Well," Hermione drew a deep breath. "You just saw for yourself that I didn't care that much about the fact that I was pregnant, I just cared about the fact that I was missing the meeting. And now I'm worried that I'm going to be one of those career-mothers who never has time for their children en who always talks about work, but there is no way I'm going to be a stay at home mum, because there is still so much injustice in the world and if I end up stuck at home I'll become bitter and resentful and, oh my god, I'll become like the toad!"
Hermione was now breathing at a fast pace, choking on her words.
"I'll be the meanest mother ever. I won't ever talk to my children, I'll just tell them what to do. And they will be terrified of me and always stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and -"
"Mione!" Ron interrupted her rant and made her stand. He guided her to the kitchen all while trying to comfort her.
"You are not going to be one of those career-mothers or become like the toad. You are going to be a good mother."
Hermione sat down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands.
"You don't know that," she mumbled.
"Yes, I do," Ron disagreed while grabbing the box with tealeaves. "You just proved it to me."
"I did?" Hermione questioned. "How?"
"By the panic attack you just had."
"The fact that I was having a panic attack about the thought of being a mother proves that I'm going to be a good mother?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about! The fact that you were having a panic attack proves that you care." Ron poured some hot water in a cup and put some leaves with it.
"That I care?"
"Yes, and that's all that really matters." Ron explained. "The fact that you care about whether or not our child is going to be happy already puts you ahead of a lot of parents."
"And what about all the other parents?" Hermione wondered in a small voice. She realized a long time ago that she could never be the best at everything, but she really wanted to be a good parent.
"They learned how to be parents, Mione. They learned how to deal with a crying baby and an angry teenager."
Hermione hadn't thought about it that way. "You can learn how to be a parent?"
"Even better," Ron told her as he put a cup of tea in front of her. "There are books about it."