Summary: Hermione's pregnant, but it won't be that easy for her and Ron as they struggle to follow the road to parenthood.
Date: January 14, 2005
Chapter 1: Sick
'Mmm, that was wonderful,' Hermione mumbled as she leaned over to kiss Ron. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath and rolled over to pull her closer.
'I love Saturday mornings, don't you, love?' Ron whispered into her ear. She giggled and threw the covers back.
'Where're you going?' Ron asked indignantly.
'To get breakfast. Unless you're telling me you'd rather not eat until lunch.' She smiled and left the room.
'Hold up! I want breakfast too!' Ron yelled after her, struggling to get out of the grip of the covers.
About five weeks later, Hermione woke up not to Ron's loving caress, but to a tug in her gut. She vaulted out of bed and ran straight to the nearest bathroom, making it just in time to vomit into the toilet. 'Ugh,' she groaned, leaning over the porcelain bowl heavily. 'What have I eaten lately?' She remembered Ron's disastrous attempt to cook last Thursday and smiled to herself. 'That's probably it,' she said to herself. 'It'll be gone by tomorrow.'
But it was not gone by the next day, and one morning as she puked noisily she heard Ron enter the bathroom. 'Are you all right, love?' he asked carefully.
'Just spiffing. Bloody amazing, I am.' Hermione sat back against the bathtub and covered her face with her hands. She felt Ron put an arm around her.
'You're taking off work today. I've already called in for you,' he added as she tried to protest. 'I also made an appointment for St Mungo's tomorrow at half past one.' She smiled gratefully at him.
'I'm sorry, Ron.'
'For what? Puking your guts up every morning?'
'For being sick the day before our first anniversary,' she said remorsefully.
'Oh, love. I don't give a damn about our anniversary if you're not feeling well. In sickness and in health, remember?' He kissed her cheek and gave her a glass of water.
Hermione sat reading Witch Weekly in the waiting room of St Mungo's. It was twenty-five minutes past one, and she had already checked in with the welcome lady. She hoped she would be in and out quick enough to buy a present for Ron on the way back home. 'Hermione Weasley?' a voice interrupted her thoughts. She stood up, placing the magazine back in its rack. 'Right this way, please.' She followed the lady to a room, where she was told to wait until the Healer arrived.
'Hello, Mrs Weasley. How are you today?' asked Healer Smith, walking briskly into the office. She had been the Weasley-Potter Healer since before Molly had been pregnant with Bill.
'Well, if I was feeling well, I wouldn't be here, would I?' replied Hermione with a little laugh. She laid down for the Healer to examine her.
'So, tell me your symptoms again?' the Healer asked as she examined Hermione.
'Well, I've been throwing up a lot, for a few days, and I have these god-awful headaches. I've also been feeling really tired and for some reason I'm cramping a lot more than I usually do before my period.'
'Yes, about that. When is your period due?' Healer Smith questioned, motioning for Hermione to turn around.
'Actually, it was due a couple of days ago. But sometimes it's a few days off.' Hermione replied, turning back as Healer Smith finished the examination.
'Alright, almost done. I just want to get a sample of your urine and test it, and then you can be on your way.' She handed Hermione a little paper cup and sent her to the bathroom. When Hermione came back the Healer took the cup and left Hermione in the office. About fifteen minutes later, Healer Smith came back.
'Well, I've got some good news for you. You're not sick,' the Healer told Hermione cheerfully.
'I'm not? But what of the throwing up and all?' Hermione asked curiously.
'You're not sick. You're pregnant!' Healer Smith smiled at Hermione's expression.
'I am?' She asked incredulously.
'Sure are. The urine tests don't lie! Congratulations, Mrs Weasley! But judging from your expression, this wasn't planned, was it?' Hermione shook her head no. 'Well, you know your options - '
'I'm keeping it,' Hermione said firmly. 'No questions about it.' And with that, Healer Smith smiled and showed her out of the office.
After leaving St Mungo's, Hermione stopped by Diagon Alley to pick up a present for Ron. She found the perfect present and wrapped it at home. Then she cooked a meal for Ron using Molly's recipe for chicken pot pie and waited for Ron to come home. She heard the pop of him Apparating into the foyer and she went to meet him. 'Happy Anniversary, love,' Ron said, kissing her sweetly. 'Something smells delicious.'
'You too, Ron. I made chicken pot pie. Shall we eat?'
'Mmm, yes we shall,' Ron murmured in her ear, following her to the dining room. 'Oh, Hermione. It's beautiful.' Hermione had set the dining table with candles and put a vase of roses in the middle of it. They had sat down and begun to eat when Ron suddenly set his fork and knife down. 'Oh, I forgot. What did Healer Smith say?'
'Oh, it's nothing. I'll tell you later,' Hermione replied quickly, her voice going higher. She winced; she had always been a terrible liar.
For the rest of the meal she listened to Ron relate the day's work, and how one trainee in the Auror department had almost had a mental breakdown. ('Such a wimp,' he chortled.) Then they went to sit in the living room. 'Now will you tell me what the Healer said?'
'Later,' Hermione insisted. 'First open your present.' She handed him a neatly wrapped giftbox. He gave her a kiss, pulled off the ribbon, and took the lid off the box. Inside was a little onesie and a note that said,
Happy Anniversary!
Maybe you can use this in nine months.
Love,
The bump.
Ron looked up at Hermione, who had tears in her eyes. 'Oh, love, are you really-?' She nodded. He gave her a long kiss and sat back. Then the grin melted off his face and he promptly fell off the couch in a dead faint.
'Oh, Ron!' Hermione fell to her knees beside him. 'Ennervate!' Ron gave a gasp and sat up abruptly.
'What happened?'
'You fainted,' Hermione replied, suppressing laughter. She helped her husband back up and he sat there for a while. Then he started to smile again and pulled Hermione close to him.
'I love you,' he said lovingly.
'I love you too,' Hermione replied. She squealed as he swept her off her feet.
'To the bedroom!' He cried triumphantly, and carried her to their bed, swinging the door shut behind him.
A/N: I actually have quite a few of these chapters down already, but I'm going to wait and see if anyone wants me to continue it or not before I post any more. Thanks for reading!
