Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I merely dabble in it.
An impatient touch on her shoulder told her it was time to go.
She sighed. "I know, Harry. I'm almost ready, just let me say goodbye to my mum and dad."
Harry nodded and walked with over to Platform 9 ¾ with their best friend Ron Weasley and the Weasley clan, who'd thus diminished to only two children, Ron (who was a seventh year Hogwarts student, like herself) and Ginny (who was a sixth year).
She turned back to her parents. Her mum was sniffling again, almost routinely so, done every year. Her father merely stood beside her mum, his hand comfortingly around her mum's shoulders, every once in awhile giving a comforting squeeze. Hermione could feel the gulf between them grow every year she bordered the Hogwarts Express. Every year she saw their faces crease with worry and agitation. She wasn't the only one to have subscribed to 'The Daily Prophet'.
"Hermione," her mother began tentatively, looking up at her father. He merely nodded and seemed to hold her a bit closer. Hermione took in a deep breath, sensing this was important.
"Hermione, we have something important to tell you," her mum began again. "We're pregnant."
She was shocked to say the least but looking at the concerned faces of her parents, she understood that they were bracing themselves for the worst but secretly hoping for the best. She ran up to them and hugged them as hard as she could, her mother dissolved into a fit of tears and her dad with his arms around them both.
"My girls," he whispered.
"How do you already know the baby is going to be a girl?" Hermione asked.
Her parents looked at each other. "Hermione, let's just say it's a gut instinct."
She heard the warning bell through the platform and sent rushed kisses to her parents as she grabbed her luggage and lunged through the seemingly brick wall.
"Love you," she shouted behind her back and she heard their double echoes in return.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The first evening at Hogwarts for Hermione was a blur. She was going to be a big sister. It was strange and exciting and she loved the feeling of it. She savored it, swearing that as soon as the library was open, she'd take a look at whatever books they had on pregnancy, childbirth, and rearing, she'd have read by the time her little sister was born.
Harry Potter must have seen her staring into space more than once because he crawled under the table to sit next to her and put his arm around her.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing's wrong," Hermione said, smiling brightly. "Guess what though? I'm going to be a big sister!"
"What?!? Are your parents mad?" Ron asked, while taking a huge bite out of a drumstick.
"No, they aren't," Hermione huffed, her lips beginning to pout.
Harry knew a row was about to begin and doing his best at compromising, decided for another tact.
"I, for one, think it's wonderful. Tell your parents congratulations for me," Harry said.
After a swift kick from under the table, Ron agreed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two weeks passed. Children had gotten parcels of things they'd forgotten, treats begotten. By the end of the first week when Hermione hadn't heard anything, she was anxious. At the end of the second week, she was livid.
"I've sent three letters home already," Hermione said agitatedly as the trio one night as they sat down to dinner. "They've all come back unopened."
"Don't worry, Hermione," Ron said, reaching for a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "I'm sure they're out at a spa or something so your mum can relax a bit."
"I don't know," Harry said, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Perhaps you ought to ask Dumbledore."
"Yes, I think I should," she agreed. "After dinner I will."
With that, the trio joined the students of Hogwarts busy with the task of eating. A hush pervaded the hall as a Ministry owl's letter landed on the Griffindor table with a loud plop between Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. The table grew quiet and the usual clamor that accompanied dinner was unusually inconspicuous. Gulping hard, Hermione's terrified gaze met that of a similarly distressed Ron. Whispers had already started to begin at the tables around them. The envelope had been lying so that the addressee continued to remain unknown. Looking at Ron's horrified face, she knew she'd have to be the one to turn it over. And much to her chagrin, it was addressed to her.
Her gaze lifted from the envelope in her hand to the face of her other friend, the infamous Harry Potter, who sat across from her. He sent her a sympathetic look, accompanied by what must have been a comforting pat. But Hermione was rigid. She had seen too many envelopes like these this year addressed to various other persons and had known the catastrophic results.
Ron still looked anxiously at her and as she shook her head negative, he let out a sigh of relief. Immediately sorry for what he'd done and knowing what this would do to Hermione, he tried to give Hermione his best "I'm- sorry-for-being-an-idiotic-twit" look but her eyes gazed elsewhere.
Her hand turned the envelope over and broke the gold Ministry of Magic seal. She carefully took out the contents and stared at the parchment. Her friends watched on as she started biting her lip, what was in her seventh year a sign of extreme agitation or grievance. Tactfully avoiding Harry and Ron's eyes, she looked up to the High Table at her Head of House who nodded in understanding. Quietly getting up, head bowed, she exited the silent dining hall, opting for the aloofness the Head Girl's rooms provided.
As the dining hall erupted into whispers after Hermione's departure, six pairs of eyes continued to gaze where she had stood a second earlier: Harry's, Ron's, and Professor McGonagall's with worry; Professor Dumbledore's with expectation; Draco's with bitterness; and Professor Snape's with something akin to trepidation.
A/N: This will become a Severus/Hermione romance. Just thought everyone ought to know.
An impatient touch on her shoulder told her it was time to go.
She sighed. "I know, Harry. I'm almost ready, just let me say goodbye to my mum and dad."
Harry nodded and walked with over to Platform 9 ¾ with their best friend Ron Weasley and the Weasley clan, who'd thus diminished to only two children, Ron (who was a seventh year Hogwarts student, like herself) and Ginny (who was a sixth year).
She turned back to her parents. Her mum was sniffling again, almost routinely so, done every year. Her father merely stood beside her mum, his hand comfortingly around her mum's shoulders, every once in awhile giving a comforting squeeze. Hermione could feel the gulf between them grow every year she bordered the Hogwarts Express. Every year she saw their faces crease with worry and agitation. She wasn't the only one to have subscribed to 'The Daily Prophet'.
"Hermione," her mother began tentatively, looking up at her father. He merely nodded and seemed to hold her a bit closer. Hermione took in a deep breath, sensing this was important.
"Hermione, we have something important to tell you," her mum began again. "We're pregnant."
She was shocked to say the least but looking at the concerned faces of her parents, she understood that they were bracing themselves for the worst but secretly hoping for the best. She ran up to them and hugged them as hard as she could, her mother dissolved into a fit of tears and her dad with his arms around them both.
"My girls," he whispered.
"How do you already know the baby is going to be a girl?" Hermione asked.
Her parents looked at each other. "Hermione, let's just say it's a gut instinct."
She heard the warning bell through the platform and sent rushed kisses to her parents as she grabbed her luggage and lunged through the seemingly brick wall.
"Love you," she shouted behind her back and she heard their double echoes in return.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The first evening at Hogwarts for Hermione was a blur. She was going to be a big sister. It was strange and exciting and she loved the feeling of it. She savored it, swearing that as soon as the library was open, she'd take a look at whatever books they had on pregnancy, childbirth, and rearing, she'd have read by the time her little sister was born.
Harry Potter must have seen her staring into space more than once because he crawled under the table to sit next to her and put his arm around her.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing's wrong," Hermione said, smiling brightly. "Guess what though? I'm going to be a big sister!"
"What?!? Are your parents mad?" Ron asked, while taking a huge bite out of a drumstick.
"No, they aren't," Hermione huffed, her lips beginning to pout.
Harry knew a row was about to begin and doing his best at compromising, decided for another tact.
"I, for one, think it's wonderful. Tell your parents congratulations for me," Harry said.
After a swift kick from under the table, Ron agreed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two weeks passed. Children had gotten parcels of things they'd forgotten, treats begotten. By the end of the first week when Hermione hadn't heard anything, she was anxious. At the end of the second week, she was livid.
"I've sent three letters home already," Hermione said agitatedly as the trio one night as they sat down to dinner. "They've all come back unopened."
"Don't worry, Hermione," Ron said, reaching for a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "I'm sure they're out at a spa or something so your mum can relax a bit."
"I don't know," Harry said, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Perhaps you ought to ask Dumbledore."
"Yes, I think I should," she agreed. "After dinner I will."
With that, the trio joined the students of Hogwarts busy with the task of eating. A hush pervaded the hall as a Ministry owl's letter landed on the Griffindor table with a loud plop between Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. The table grew quiet and the usual clamor that accompanied dinner was unusually inconspicuous. Gulping hard, Hermione's terrified gaze met that of a similarly distressed Ron. Whispers had already started to begin at the tables around them. The envelope had been lying so that the addressee continued to remain unknown. Looking at Ron's horrified face, she knew she'd have to be the one to turn it over. And much to her chagrin, it was addressed to her.
Her gaze lifted from the envelope in her hand to the face of her other friend, the infamous Harry Potter, who sat across from her. He sent her a sympathetic look, accompanied by what must have been a comforting pat. But Hermione was rigid. She had seen too many envelopes like these this year addressed to various other persons and had known the catastrophic results.
Ron still looked anxiously at her and as she shook her head negative, he let out a sigh of relief. Immediately sorry for what he'd done and knowing what this would do to Hermione, he tried to give Hermione his best "I'm- sorry-for-being-an-idiotic-twit" look but her eyes gazed elsewhere.
Her hand turned the envelope over and broke the gold Ministry of Magic seal. She carefully took out the contents and stared at the parchment. Her friends watched on as she started biting her lip, what was in her seventh year a sign of extreme agitation or grievance. Tactfully avoiding Harry and Ron's eyes, she looked up to the High Table at her Head of House who nodded in understanding. Quietly getting up, head bowed, she exited the silent dining hall, opting for the aloofness the Head Girl's rooms provided.
As the dining hall erupted into whispers after Hermione's departure, six pairs of eyes continued to gaze where she had stood a second earlier: Harry's, Ron's, and Professor McGonagall's with worry; Professor Dumbledore's with expectation; Draco's with bitterness; and Professor Snape's with something akin to trepidation.
A/N: This will become a Severus/Hermione romance. Just thought everyone ought to know.