A Small Announcement by Lemonstar

..Marcus/Hermione.. "I know your father isn't a normally violent bloke but how do you think he's going to react?" Marcus asked, growing more nervous as they neared the house. Hermione smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

..XX..

For once, Marcus Flint was awake first, his eyes opening after a restless night's sleep as soon as the sun starting shining through the bedroom windows. Normally, he would sleep in as late as possible – especially on the weekends – and Hermione would have to use her creativity to try and coax him out from between the sheets.

But that Sunday, he was up and out of bed, making sure that a still sleeping Hermione was covered with the blankets, and then went into the loo to relieve himself and brush his teeth. Though they wouldn't be leaving until later that afternoon, his stomach was alright knotted and he felt like he was going to be sick. Every Sunday, he and Hermione went over to her parents' house for a family style dinner and though he had gotten along with her parents from the first time she introduced him to them, this Sunday was going to be a bit different.

Marcus somehow doubted that Ned and Jane Granger were going to be ecstatic when they heard that their future son-in-law had knocked up their only daughter before they got married.

He tried to be as quiet as he puttered around the kitchen, fixing himself some breakfast, not wanting to wake Hermione with the banging of pots and pans. Marcus was usually the one who cooked when they decided to stay in and eat something. For some reason, despite all of her knowledge on seemingly every other topic in the world, cooking was just something that seemed to be completely beyond Hermione. He had tried giving her several lessons but no matter what they made, she somehow managed to burn it. That really was quite a talent. Even things he hadn't thought possible to burn, such as spaghetti noodles, Hermione had charred them to black.

It annoyed Hermione to no end but Marcus found it to be actually quite hilarious. He loved watching her get utterly frustrated as she tried making something as simple as scrambled eggs.

He cracked a few eggs into the large bowl and adding milk, he began mixing it all in with his fork, looking out the window over the kitchen sink as he did so. It was a bright day, the sun finally breaking through the dark grey clouds that seemed to have been permanently hanging in the sky for the past few winter months. It was going to still be a cold day but at least the sun was out.

That should make Hermione happy. She was two months pregnant and she was already going through the first batch of changing hormones. Just last night she had said that she missed the sun.

Going to the stove, he carefully poured the whipped egg yolks into the frying pan, it sizzling and popping as soon as it touched the hot surface, and then grabbed a spatula, starting to scramble them up. He wasn't sure what to expect that evening with Hermione's parents. After the hurt he had caused her, he had been surprised that they had been so willing to accept him when Hermione had introduced him.

Jane Granger saw how happy he made Hermione and she absolutely adored him simply for that fact and Ned Granger was pleased that his daughter had found a man with a good head on his shoulders and a decent job that could provide for her.

Still, though, Hermione was their only child; their only daughter. And Marcus had gotten her pregnant out of wedlock. He knew her parents to be a bit on the old-fashioned side and he kept imagining both of them trying to kill him after Hermione told them their news. Marcus really hoped though that he was just overreacting.

A pair of slim arms suddenly slid around his waist from behind but Marcus didn't even jump or tense for a moment upon feeling them. He continued moving the eggs about in the pan, scrambling them into a large fluffy pile with one hand while covering her hands on his stomach with his other.

"Sleep alright?" He asked.

Hermione nodded her head, pressing her cheek against his back and closing her eyes. "What are you doing up so early?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep anymore. My stomach was grumbling."

She smiled faintly, pressing a soft kiss between his shoulder blades before pulling away from him and going to the refrigerator to take out the carton of orange juice.

"Do you want any?" He asked as he scooped the eggs from the pan onto the plate he had gotten for himself.

She shook her head. "I think if I ate, I would throw up. I'm just going to have juice," she said, pouring two glasses, and then went to sit down at the table.

She was wearing nothing except her knickers with one of his white undershirts and Marcus often admitted that Hermione looked better in his clothes than he ever did. No matter how many times he said it, she never believed him when he told her how sexy she was. She would blush or roll her eyes or immediately change the subject. He didn't know why it always seemed to embarrass her. She really was the sexiest, most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Marcus found himself sometimes just staring at her, watching her, even as she did the most mundane tasks. She could be sitting on the floor of the living room, folding laundry or in the bedroom, making the bed in the morning, and Marcus would find himself just watching her. Everything she did was beautiful. She moved with such care, such grace, as if what she was doing in that moment was the most important thing in the entire world to her.

He would watch her and sometimes feel completely unworthy of being in her company. He was rough and brash – the complete opposite of who she was and how she acted. He had anger that she could dissolve just by touching his arm or kissing his cheek. The other night, they had been at the Leaky Cauldron and Hermione had gone up to the bar to get herself another cup of water. For some reason, a random bloke thought that an unattended woman at the bar was an open invitation to be mauled. Marcus had nearly lost it but Hermione took hold of his hand and made him look at her and everything else after that faded away except for her.

He was so completely different than her – and not at all in the better – that whenever he watched her, he felt such a complete uncertainty within him. Surely, someone like Hermione Granger would never stick with someone like Marcus Flint. She was too perfect and he… well, he wasn't.

He was terrified that her parents were going to point out all of his flaws later that evening over dinner once Hermione announced the pregnancy. They wouldn't be wrong, of course. Marcus couldn't think of a single reason for Hermione wanting to not only be with him and marry him but also make him the father of her child.

"You're a million miles away this morning, love," Hermione smiled faintly at him, snapping him from his thoughts and grabbing a fork, he took his plate of eggs and sat down across from her at the table. "Is everything alright?" She asked, handing him the pepper shaker without him needing to ask her for it.

"Completely petrified for this evening but other than that, I'm fine," Marcus answered through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

Underneath the table, she lifted her foot and rested it on his chair, between his knees. "Please don't be nervous," she said. "It's not like my parents will be able to say anything at all that will make me turn away from you, Marcus."

"Still, it's a bit nerve-wracking," he said. "When we tell your parents about the baby, it'll be different. Your dad will look to me as the bloke who took his precious daughter's virginity like some dirty, perverted thief in the night."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Marcus, I'm over here spending the night every night. I think my parents have figured out that we don't always just sleep. And I told my mom I was having sex with you."

"Yeah, but now, they'll definitely know," he said then shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "It's one thing to just hear that your daughter is having sex. It's an entirely different thing when you actually have to see it every time you look at her pregnant belly."

She smiled, shaking her head. "You're worrying for nothing. Everything is going to be fine tonight. I promise." She stood up and leaning over the table, kissed him firmly on the lips. "Also, my mom is making Shepherd's Pie just for you."

"Great," Marcus mumbled to himself as Hermione went to the sink to rinse her empty juice glass out. "It'll probably be used as something she can throw at my head."

She laughed, going back to him and Marcus pushed his chair away from the table just as Hermione sat herself down on his lap, her arms winding around his neck and his going around her waist. She kissed him again, he tasting the oranges on her lips.

"Do you have any idea how arousing you're making me right now?" she whispered, her fingers tunneling through his hair, her lips barely moving off of his as she spoke.

Marcus cranked an eyebrow up at that. "I'm fairly certain that those are just the pregnancy hormones talking, 'Mione." He leaned forward, capturing her lips again in a deep kiss that had her moaning into his mouth and his arms tightened around her.

She shook her head. "That's not it at all. Even though I scold you, you make me so hot whenever you get jealous and protective of me. Or when you worry about pleasing my parents like this."

She gave him a hard kiss, her tongue thrusting forward into his mouth, tangling with his and Marcus knew that he was two seconds away from just setting her up on the table and having his way with her.

Thwack!

Marcus and Hermione both turned their heads, their lips separating as they saw the owl crash into their closed window. She untangled herself from him and went to go see to the animal and let it inside and Marcus smirked, shoveling another helping of eggs into his mouth.

"I think it's great that your parents do this since I don't have a phone but they need to invest in a better owl," he commented as Hermione opened the window and the large bird hopped onto the ledge, a letter tied to its leg. "He has horrible timing."

"Don't say that, Marcus. I think Archimedes is a wonderful owl," she smiled, gently stroking its head. She reached into the cabinet and took down a cracker from the box on the shelf and carefully fed it to him and then untied the note from his leg, unrolling the piece of parchment. She sat down across from him at the table again and her eyes scanning quickly over the letter her parents had sent. "See? They knew to send Archimedes here which knew that I would be here this early in the morning."

"But they hadn't actually known that I was about to shag your brains out right here on the kitchen table," Marcus said. "They know you're here but they don't know."

"Emphasizing the same word doesn't help make your point," Hermione teased him and then she laughed when he snatched her knee playfully underneath the table. "There's been a change of plans. Mum and dad want us there for lunch today instead of dinner."

Marcus' smile immediately fell from his face and he could feel himself pale. "What?"

"It seems that dad has an emergency root canal surgery late this afternoon he needs to do on a patient that couldn't come in at any other time," Hermione said, taking a nearby pen and writing a response to her parents, letting them know that they would be by around noon.

She attached the note once again to Archimedes and then, giving him another cracker, the owl turned and soared out of the window, flying up into the sky. She closed the window, the wind too brisk to leave it open and she turned, looking at Marcus. He wasn't moving and she could actually see fear in his eyes. That was a rare look for him. Marcus Flint was never afraid of anything.

She smiled faintly, going back to him. She stood behind him, bending down and sliding her arms around his shoulders, pressing her lips to his ear. "Come on. We have a couple of hours before we have to go over there."

He shook his head. "You're crazy. I take you into the bedroom and shag you, your father is going to know the instant I walk in through the door that that was how I spent my morning."

Hermione kissed his ear then stood up, heading for the door. "Well, I'll be naked. In bed. If you want to join me." With that, she turned and left the kitchen, leaving him sitting at the table with his plate of eggs, growing cold.

Marcus was certain he lasted less than five full seconds before he stood up. "Damn it," he grumbled to himself, dropping his fork and it clanking on the plate as he stalked after her.

..XX..

"I know your father isn't normally a violent bloke but how do you think he's going to react?" Marcus asked, growing more nervous as they neared the small house.

Hermione smiled up at him, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." She bounced up on her toes and popped a kiss on his cheek before she knocked on the door with a bright, excited smile.

"Hermione!" Jane exclaimed happily the instant she swung the door open.

"Mum!" Hermione smiled with equal enthusiasm and the two women embraced as if they hadn't seen one another in years instead of just the previous Sunday.

"Oh, honey. You look so beautiful. You're practically glowing," Jane commented, pulling back so she could look her daughter up and down.

Well, that's either from the pregnancy or the shag I had just given her, Marcus thought silently to himself.

"And Marcus, handsome as ever," Jane smiled at him, before pulling him into his own bone-crushing hug. "How are you, dear? Work still a bit crazy?"

Marcus shrugged. "Some weeks are better than others. How are you, Mrs. Granger?"

Jane was always trying to get him to use her first name whenever he spoke to her but Marcus wasn't sure he would ever feel absolutely comfortable doing that.

"Oh, just fine. I am so happy you both were able to come early today," Jane said, ushering them both into the house and closing the front door once again.

"Where's dad?" Hermione asked, taking Marcus' hand in hers, squeezing it with silent reassurance. "I need to talk to you both about something before we eat."

Jane stared at them for a moment, her eyes bouncing back and forth to their faces as if she was watching a tennis match. "You two are… you're still getting married, aren't you?"

Hermione laughed slightly and held up their interlaced hands. "Of course, mum. I don't think we would have showed up together if the wedding was called off. No, it's something else I need to talk to you about."

"Phew. You both scared me for a moment," Jane smiled, sighing in relief. "He's in the den. Marcus, would you like something to drink?"

Fire whiskey and lots of it, he answered in his mind. "No, thank you, Mrs. Granger. I'm alright for now."

Ned Granger was sitting in his usual armchair, watching the television, but his attention was immediately diverted when his daughter and her fiancée entered.

"Ah, 'Mione," he smiled, standing up and embracing her in a tight hug before shaking Marcus' hand. "Marcus, for Christmas, I've already decided that I'm going to be getting you a telephone. That blasted owl, it flies into windows and walls. I'm convinced that he's drunk most of the time."

Marcus smirked, sitting down on the couch, trying to get himself comfortable though with what he and Hermione still had to do, he knew that any comfort at all would be impossible to find. Hermione sat down next to him, her hand still tucked in his, and Jane sat down in the other armchair opposite her husband. A cozy setting and to an outsider, it was a picture of a typical English family preparing themselves for Sunday lunch. Of course, the pleasant mood in the room was going to do change as sudden as a gust of wind in a storm.

Hermione looked at him and squeezed his hand, giving him a soft smile, one he couldn't help but return. He supposed that no matter what, all that mattered was whether or not Hermione was happy and her mother was right. She was glowing.

"Mum, dad. Marcus and I need to tell you something," Hermione said then paused to take a deep breath and prepare herself.

"You're pregnant," Ned spoke suddenly, doing his own silent appraisal of the couple sitting on the couch next to him, looking at them carefully and almost immediately noticing the slightly nervous excitement coming from off of them.

He remembered when him and Jane had looked the same exact way all of those years earlier when Jane had found out she was pregnant with Hermione.

Marcus felt his heart stop beating for a moment before it began again, beating so fast, it would surely rival a rabbit's heart pace. He closed his eyes, expecting his future father-in-law to punch him in the face now and he subconsciously tensed his body, preparing himself for it.

Hermione gasped in equal surprise. Her mouth fell open and she looked at her father and then at her mother before back at Ned again. "How… How did you know?"

"I'm a doctor," Ned said simply as if that was the only logical explanation.

"You're a dentist," Hermione reminded him as if he had forgotten. "How could you possibly know that I'm pregnant?"

Jane felt her eyes brim happily with tears. "So you are pregnant?"

"Well, yes, I am, but… but-" Hermione sputtered, her confusion growing and if there was one thing Hermione Granger hated, it was being confused.

"Oh, Hermione, that's wonderful!" Jane exclaimed, bouncing to her feet, and pulled Hermione up to hers as well, embracing her daughter, unable to keep from crying.

Ned stood up as well and Marcus finally opened his eyes, daring to look as to what would be done with him – the bloke who couldn't keep it in his pants whenever Hermione was around. He nervously stood up, his legs feeling wobbly underneath him and he licked his lips with the tip of his tongue, still bracing himself for a punch.

He flinched slightly when Ned reached out but instead of a fist in the face, Marcus received a pat on the back.

Ned smiled at him as if he had read Marcus' thoughts and knew what he had been expecting from him. "I have some cigars in my study. Marcus, would you like one?"

Marcus stared at him for a moment before looking at Jane and Hermione, who were still embraced in a hug. "I, uh…" he cleared his throat before looking at Ned. "Are you angry with us, sir?" He dared himself to ask.

Hermione pulled back away from her mother and also looked at her father, awaiting his answer. Ned only smiled before leaning over and kissing Hermione on the head.

"If I was angry, trust me, son," Ned said, his eyes going to Marcus. "I'd be offering you a swift kick in the arse instead of a cigar."

"He was worried that you were going to hit him," Hermione revealed.

"Hit the father of my grandchild and my soon to be son-in-law?" Ned mused, an amused smile across his lips. He then stared at Marcus solemnly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just because your father would react a certain way, that doesn't mean that all fathers would," he told him just softly enough for Marcus to hear. "Now!" He said, louder. "How about that cigar?"

"Oh, and Marcus, I also made those corn biscuits you seemed to enjoy so much last week," Jane smiled at him before kissing his cheek. "Come on, Hermione. You can help me and we can talk about baby names while the men go off to blacken their lungs in celebration."

Hermione smiled at him, giving him a quick wink before she dutifully followed her mother out of the den and Marcus numbly followed Ned down the hallway towards his study located in the back of the house. He had not been expecting this at all. He hadn't anticipated… happiness from them. He hadn't thought that Jane and Ned would be so warm and accepting – like parents should be.

Marcus supposed that he was all getting used to it though. Being part of a family. He had never really had one before and there were still quite a bit of things that he clearly had to learn about them.

..XX..

A/N: I really like how this one turned out considering I started this one on a whim this morning without a clear idea of what I wanted to say. What came from my fingers though, I like. Next one-shot will be the wedding. Finally! Reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you.