Hermione woke with a start, hoping against all odds that her plan would actually work. Skipping franticly around the house, she searched for the little white box she had hidden from Ron only days before. Ron was still fast asleep, late into the morning, and only stirred when crookshanks grew tired of being ignored.
"Gerroff me…Stupid cat…" He said as he shoved the cat from the bed.
"Ronald dear, are you up?" Hermione called from the kitchen. "You've missed breakfast all-together. No worries though, lunch is on it's way."
Though he hadn't been very awake before, the mention of fresh hot food had him searching for his trousers. "Be down in a minute," he called back as he fumbled in the bright room, his eyes still adjusting. Shading his eyes from the penetrating sunlight, he found the door and slid through. As he entered the kitchen, a great smile splayed across his face.
"Don't look too excited to see me, Ron." Hermione said playfully, as she saw him look at her.
"I wasn't smiling cause of all this," Ron said, gesturing to the small feast Hermione was preparing for him. "I was smiling about you," He continued, his cheeks going slightly pink.
She looked away sheepishly, as if it were a first date, and she was embarrassed to be called beautiful. She kept her back to him as she set a table for two, and began to fill the table with food. Keeping a close eye on her, he sat, and let her fill his plate.
"What are you looking at? Have I spilled something on myself?" She started searching her blouse for stains.
"No, your fine," Ron said, bringing her face down to his to kiss her. "Your just exceptionally ravishing today. What is that your wearing? Vanilla and Plum?" He asked, sniffing the air.
"Oh stop it, Ronald. I'm wearing what I always wear," Hermione replied, as she too took her seat at the table and began to fill her plate. Ron continued to watch, and marvel at her apparent sudden beauty, and only after a very scolding look from Hermione did he tear his eyes away and begin in on his boiled potatoes, treacle pudding, and kidney pie.
"We're going to visit Harry and Ginny today, I hope you don't mind. You haven't planned anything important, have you?" Ron asked through a mouth full of food.
"No… I hadn't planned anything," Hermione sighed, thinking of a better time to tell Ron the big news.
The rest of their lunch had turned oddly quiet, and when they were finished, Hermione cleaned the dishes and pack away the extra food, then headed upstairs to change. "Iris?" She asked as she stared at the large barn owl perched on her bedroom sill. The owl hooted, and hopped onto the four poster bed. "Ron, come up here. It's a note from Ginny."
Ron took the note from Ginny and read aloud:
James has come down with a cold, so we wont be able to meet you in London today. Come to Grimmauld Place instead?
-Ginny
"Oh no! Poor James. I do hope he feels better. Should we still go?" Hermione asked, sounding nervous. "I don't know if I could really risk getting sick right now…" She paused, "You know, with work and all." She threw in quickly, biting her lip.
"We'll be fine, Hermione. Besides, you can magic away a cold like nothing.," Ron said reassuringly. He scribbled a few words onto the back of Ginny's note, and refastened it to Iris' leg. "Fly fast, will you Iris?" The owl hooted, and flew from their window.
Hermione gathered the Easter presents, and set them by the fireplace. "Floo powder. I don't really feel safe Apperating today…" she said, pinching a bit of dust from the flower pot on the mantle.
"Do I need to set an appointment at St. Mungo's? Are you feeling alright, darling?" Ron sounded concerned.
"Perfectly normal, I assure you. I just…had a bad feeling." she said, throwing the dust into the fireplace. She stepped into the roaring green flames, and giggled a bit at their tingling warmth, then clearly called 'Grimmauld Place,' and disappeared.
Barely two seconds passed, and Ron was toppling over Hermione in the fireplace.
"Hermione? Ron? Is that you?" Ginny called from upstairs.
"Yes!" Hermione called back, laughing as she fell over Ron onto the floor.
"What're you doing down there?" Harry said, staring down at the two on the floor.
"Oh, shut up Harry." Hermione giggled. "Obviously we fell over. Mind giving me a hand?" She said, still laughing as Harry took her hand, and pulled her from the floor.
Ginny came into the room then, carrying a chubby little boy, with rosy cheeks and unkempt hair. "He'd just gone down for his nap, but with all this racket down here, I don't see how he could sleep. Now I'm going to have to deal with an over tired, sick baby all afternoon."
"Oh Ginny, come off it. You asked us to come visit!" Ron said as Hermione took James from his mother, smiling and making goo-goo eyes at him.
"Ginny. Just ignore him, he's been a little off lately. Couldn't stop staring at me this morning. I think he has separation anxiety." Hermione said, looking at Harry. "Come on, Ginny, I've got to talk to you anyhow. Lets go outside. Its rather nice out today, don't you think?" She said, leading Ginny from the living room, and out into the garden, "They could do with a bit boy time any…." Her voice faded as they walked farther and farther from the men.
After walking several paces from the house, Hermione placed little James on the ground, and sat next to him. "How did you tell him? Harry, I mean."
"About what?" Ginny said, a look of utter confusion on her face.
"That you were going to have a baby. How did you tell him? How long did you wait after you found out?"
"Hermione. Are you? You are aren't you! Oh my gosh. Congratulations! Ron'll be so excited to hear the news! How do you plan to tell him?" Ginny said, all of her previous anger and confusion gone.
"Well, that's why I'm asking. I'm not really sure how to go about telling him. I mean, what if I say it wrong, or, sound like I am unhappy about it. I could ruin the whole moment by just the tone of my voice. And, telling him in a letter is just tacky…." Hermione said, inhaling a deep breath.
"Calm down. There really is no way you can screw it up. Honestly. When I found out about this little one here," Ginny said, smiling down at James, stroking his cheek with her fore-finger, "I cried for a week, and Harry went bonkers trying to figure out why I was so distraught. I wasn't upset really, I was just rather emotional. I couldn't contain myself."
"Really?" Hermione said in a relief, "I've been dodging him for days so he wouldn't see me crying. Hiding in the bathroom, trying to laugh at an insanely boring book. And this morning? He knew something was up. He kept staring at me, telling me that I was 'exceptionally ravishing' and I 'smelled different.'"
"All normal." Ginny said, trying to contain her excitement.
"So, how did you tell Harry?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I bought a few muggle pregnancy tests, and took them. They all turned out positive, so I left them on the table for him to find. I was already in bed when he got home from work, and when I heard him bounding up the stairs, I pretended to be asleep. He came through the door, and over to me, and kissed me awake. Granted, I was already awake, so there really wasn't that much waking to do. He really just stared and smiled at me a lot that night. And then, you know. We were so excited, we just sort of… You know. But, don't let him do that though. You'll be vomiting for days. Its very painful. I guess the baby doesn't really like it all that much." She said, chortling. "Every time 'it' happened, I'd go into a vomiting fit. After about the third or fourth time, we decided to call it quits though." Hermione just sat in the grass, holding little James's hands, and aiding him to walk to his mother.
"What's it like, being a mum?"
"Its amazing. The most amazing thing you'll ever do." Ginny replied, picking up her son and cradling him.
"What if I'm no good at it? " Hermione was starting to sound upset.
"Hermione. I wont let you be a bad mother. I'll be there to help you, and mum and dad too. And your mum and dad, and my brothers. We're all here for you. Now, cheer up."
Hermione picked at the grass for a moment, then turned to her bag and hesitated. "Can I show you something?"
"Of course," said Ginny, as Hermione pulled a little white parcel from her bag and removed the lid. "Oh! Look at it! Hermione, your so clever! I never would have thought of this."
"Do you think he'll get it? Or will I have to explain it to him?" Hermione asked, afraid of the answer.
"This is Ron we're talking about here. What do you think?" Ginny laughed
"Oh, right. Perspective."
Ginny placed James back in the grass and hoisted herself up. "Come on!" She said, "Your going to tell him now. Not here of course, there is a nice little restaurant in London that Harry and I quite like. Go there. I'll write the name down when we get inside." She bent over and picked up James, then dragged Hermione back towards the house as she fumbled to get the lid back on the package and into her bag. "Ron? Harry?" Ginny called.
"In here," they said together.
Ginny rounded the corner into the kitchen to find the boys deep in a game of Wizards Chess. "Oh, come on. Really? Hermione and Ron have got to go. Now. They have something very important to take care of!"
"No I don-" Ron began.
"Shut-it, and yes you do. I want you to take Hermione to this little restaurant in London, called the Rose Garden," Ginny said as she struggled to write the name on a scrap of parchment while holding the wriggling baby. "Alright?"
"Ron, I've learned its best if you don't argue with her when she is in a mood like this. Just do what she says," Harry said under his breath.
"Alright, alright!" Ron said as he rose from his chair, defeated. "Why the rush though, couldn't it wait until the game was over?"
"No!" Ginny half yelled. "Now get out!" She said as she grabbed Ron's jacket, and ushered the couple to the door. "Take our car, the keys are inside." Hermione turned around as she was half way down the steps, to see Ginny mouthing the words 'Good Luck' to her.
The ride into London was awkward and quiet, and when they arrived at the little restaurant, Ron was hesitant to get out of the car. "What's this all about anyways? I mean, we're already married. I don't see why we need such a fancy dinner for you to tell me you've been promoted or something like that…" Hermione glared at him in an angry-sweet sort of way as they got in line to be seated.
"You'll see. Table for two" she said, turning to the hostess. They took their seats, and Ron immediately picked up a menu, which Hermione slapped back onto the table. She pulled out the little white package and placed it on the table.
"What's this?" Ron asked.
"Well, go on then. Open it." She said nervously. He slid the top off of the box, and peered into it for a moment, then picked up its contents to examine it more closely.
"A Chudley Cannon's romper? What could I possibly need this for? Ron stared at the outfit for a few moments, churning things over in his head. Without warning, he suddenly exclaimed "No! Hermione? Are you?" She nodded happily.
"Well, that's wonderful really!" He said, dropping the outfit back into the box, while leaning over the table to kiss her deeply, in front of the whole restaurant. "We're going to have a baby…" He whispered as he kissed her. "We're having a baby!" He exclaimed loud enough for the whole dining room to hear.
After leaving the restaurant with many congratulations, the night was a blur. Contrary to Ginny's warning, Hermione found herself vomiting at regular intervals for the next few days.