Chapter One: Wreaking Havoc

Prompt: 29. Stress

For: The Multi Chapter Boot Camp

Rosie wouldn't be happy. No, she would not be. That was set in stone in Hermione's mind and nothing could change her opinion.

Rosie was two, and completely cute. She had frizzy red hair, which eagerly marked her as a Weasley. She had chubby hands that would scoop any book up in sight. Hermione adored her, overall.

But now Hermione was worried; the growing lump in her stomach wasn't a good thing. Ron had been ecstatic; she hadn't. Ron was looking after Rosie today as Hermione had had to go to a meeting, but now she was coming home.

With the familiar crack she landed on the home's doorstep. It was out in the countryside, a small, old-fashioned house with a big, sprawling yard that was invisible to muggle eyes. She twisted the key in the lock and entered the house.

That was always Hermione's favourite part; it looked small and modest on the outside, but it was the best house on the inside. The walls were a modern white, with little scribbly pictures from Rose and family portraits hung up on the wall. A flatscreen TV was playing the local Quidditch game and Ron was on the sleek couch, decked out in Cannons gear and yelling at the screen. Hermione sighed and dumped her handbag on the kitchen bench; it was best not to interrupt Ron when he was watching the Chudley Cannons. She then walked up to Rosie's room.

Her breathing was slow and shaky. Rosie wouldn't be happy, not one bit. She squeezed her eyes shut; what would she do? And how would Rosie react to it all? The questions were burned into Hermione's mind.

She twisted the door knob and entered Rosie's room – everything was a subdued soft blue. They'd got everything pink at first, before realizing that Rose hated anything that happened to do with the colour pink. Rosie was curled up on her bed, staring at a book.

"T-h-e." She recited. "T-hee." Rosie frowned at the picture. "T-hee cat. T-hee cat. No. Daddy no t-hee."

"Rosie?" Hermione asked, sitting down on her daughter's bed. Rosie looked up in fright and wailed, dropping her book.

"Me read!" She snapped, "No mummy when me read!" Hermione sighed and brushed some of her daughter's hair out of her eyes.
"Sweetie, I've got something to tell you." She said in her best soothing voice. Rose glared at her, and Hermione's heart shattered; she hated when Rosie glared at her. She felt like she'd hurt her daughter in some way, and that made her so guilty it practically swallowed her up.
"It pwesent?" Rose asked, staring Hermione in the eyes hopefully. Hermione glumly shook her head, then stopped abruptly and smiled.

"Kind of." Rosie frowned.

"Kwind of? What that mean?" She asked. Hermione smiled.

"Rosie, you're going to have a little sibling, see." Hermione explained. Rosie fell silent and Hermione was confused. Where was the screaming? The tears? The things spiraling towards her head? They were all missing. The two sat there in silence until Rose slid off the bed, and plodded over to her toy box. She pulled out a baby doll and swung it by its ankle. Then she clambered back onto the bed, sat crossed-legged and pointed to the doll.

"Like this?" Rose asked. Hermione nodded, surprised how calmly she was taking it.

"Yes, Rosie. Like that. But don't hold your sibling by the ankle, okay?" She grinned. Rose threw the doll on the ground.

"You spend lot time with baby like Al?" She asked. Hermione nodded, her mind blissfully at ease, ignoring the tiny part that was still discontent.

"Yes, but we still love you, of course." She said quickly. And then Rose grabbed the doll by the neck and hauled it across the room.
"Me not good lots?" She demanded. "You want good baby not me?" Rose began wailing and crying. "No baby! No baby!"

"Rosie, please, just calm down." Hermione said, panicking, her voice becoming shrill.

"Bad mummy!" Rosie yelled, standing up and jumping and stomping on the bed.

"Rose, please!" She reached out to hug her daughter, but Rose jumped back and fell off the bed, landing on one of her toys.

"Mummy hurt me!" She yelled, screaming.
"Rose, please!" Hermione knelt by her daughter, "Rosie, I'm sorry." But Rose just kept wailing and yelling and crying. She wouldn't take sorry for an answer. Ron materialized in the doorway, brows furrowed and cheeks red.
"Rose!" He pushed past Hermione and scooped his baby girl up in his arms. "Rosie, oh, Rosie." He didn't even notice Hermione.

Tears fell down her face. She had failed as a mother. She shut her eyes and tried to stop the tears from falling. She'd been so nervous about being a mother, always worried something like this would happen. And she'd been right, as always. She'd stuffed it up. And she disapparated, not sure where she'd end up.

To her surprise, she found herself crying in a booth in a café she'd gone to with her parents a lot when she was younger. She ordered herself green tea and hoped that no-one recognized her. Ron hadn't even realized she was in the house. Maybe he'd think she was still at work. Yes, that was a good plan – she just had to make it believable, which would be difficult as she'd already left her handbag at home.

Hermione placed a hand on her stomach and stared down at it. Another child inside of her that she could hurt. And she wanted to run, somewhere, anywhere, when she heard a voice at her side.

"It's okay, Hermione. Ron understands." A red-headed witch sat at her side, a boy snuggled into her lap. "I was worried too. It's okay." Albus yawned and Ginny smiled fondly down at him.

"You know?" Hermione sniffled. Ginny laughed.

"Ron panicked and called Harry and I up right away. Oh boy, am I glad that Albus is old enough for side along apparition now." Hermione gave a weak smile. You had to be at least 15 months old to be able to side-apparate with someone over the age of twenty-three.

"Mm, that's a relief when they get to that age, huh?" Hermione gave a weak, choppy laugh. Her head was spinning.

"Yeah. So. Anyways, don't worry about Rose. Broken arm, at the most, it's not your fault. Besides," Ginny grinned, "You're preg-nant again!" Ginny's eyes sparkled.

"I wish Rose was as excited as you are." Hermione said glumly.

"Yeah, oh well. James was upset, but now you should see them!" Ginny chirped brightly. Hermione frowned.
"Don't they rip each other's hair out or something?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Ginny shrugged.

"What can I say, they have Harry's genes, it grows back within a day. Anyways, that's just normal sibling behavior." Ginny laughed. Hermione, however, was a bit more worried.

"Normal?" She swallowed hard, "Right, yeah. Normal sibling behavior. "Let's just hope my two children are as abnormal as Dumbledore was, eh?" Hermione gave a shaky laugh.

"Oh, Hermione, it'll be fine. If you like, Rose can stay the night with us until everything calms down." Ginny offered. Hermione sighed.

"I-I guess that would be good." She said glumly, tears filling her eyes.

"Aunt Mione sad." Albus mumbled. "No sad. You happy. Rosie happy. Persons happy." Hermione smiled.
"Aww, he's so cute." Hermione cooed. Ginny laughed and ruffled her son's hair.

"Yeah. I hope, if I have another child, it's a girl." She laughed. "Boys are annoying."
"I want one of each." Hermione confessed, "A boy and a girl,"

"Only two?" Ginny raised her eyebrows, "I've always wanted a big family, with at least three kids."

"Three? I don't think I could handle that many." Hermione shook her head. Ginny looked mystified.

"I suppose. But before we do anything, you need to lighten up." At that moment the waitress carried out one cup of green tea for Hermione. She thanked the waitress and began sipping at it.
"Light up." Albus repeated, clapping his chubby hands.

"Well I guess I have to if a two year old is telling me to," Hermione laughed. Ginny grinned.

"Exactly, okay? Now I'll go dump – sorry, drop – Albus off with Harry and then we can go find you a chill pill, sound good?" Ginny asked, rocking Albus up and down in her arms.

"I suppose, yeah," Hermione shrugged. Ginny smiled.
"Okay then," She smiled, "Be back in a few minutes." She held Albus close to her chest and disappeared with a quick, sharp crack.

Hermione drained her green tea rather quickly, as things were rocketing through her mind.

Normal sibling behavior. Ginny was right. It wasn't just her and Ron's decision – Rose had to like it too. And Hermione would have to be able to put up with fights and arguments between the two of them, because they were bound to fight – all siblings did.

This parenting business sounded a whole lot harder.