Chapter 1
August 2019
There was a good reason why Hermione Granger hadn't gone to St. Mungo's or a Healer but to one of the numerous Muggle gynecologists in London. If not, half of the Wizarding world would already know now that she, the 'brain' of the Golden Trio, was having a third child, age thirty-nine, nearly eleven years after her only son and a year after her divorce. The Daily Prophet would make an immediate headline of it, making the Wizarding world ponder about whom could be the unborn's father. Predictable enough was that most would not anticipate it to be her ex-spouse's. The most unlikely of parties would be considered; the news would be related to the divorce –– many would go and assume unfaithfulness as a reason. She sighed; she knew she would have to deal with that anyway in not too long. She would begin to show in a few months' time, and then all hell would break loose anyhow.
There was a good reason why she had Apparated to Hogsmeade, walking the remaining distance to Hogwarts' gates, and not just to Harry and Ginny or home. Pulling anyone –– especially Harry or Ginny –– in between Ronald and her was the last that she wanted to do. Ginny was after all still her ex's sister, no matter how good a companion Ginny Potter had been through the years and was still and no matter how good she really knew her brother and his sometimes unbearable behavior. She would want to know who had fathered this child, and Hermione would have to admit Ron had. Ginny and she had always had that unvoiced promise since their Hogwarts years to never keep secrets from each other, especially when asked about them. It definitely had been hard enough hiding her doubts and fears, which had begun to manifest in especially the last few days. She wasn't really nauseous, like with Rose and Hugo, but her body now felt a little sensitive, like she felt when getting her period. She had attributed all that she had felt to her getting her period and the lack of sleep lately, but she hadn't actually gotten that period…
Ron and she had not been living together anymore for now nearly two years, and it had been over a year since the end of their marriage was finalized, but still, Hermione Granger hadn't really adapted to the situation quite yet with her living back at her family home. That particular fact had remained fairly personal for only two months, until Rita Skeeter had somehow heard about the news and had begun to write, sprouting a lot of false rumors which were often painful and hard to ignore, even though Hermione knew that that was the best way to go about it all with Rita. She was after all known for always misconstruing everything, creating sensation and consternation.
She could well imagine Ginny saying that a reconciliation was better with a third child on the way, and although Hermione could see how and why this was a sensible suggestion, she couldn't do it. Hermione knew that, deep inside, even though it had never really been mentioned, Ginny had never truly understood the how and why of the divorce, and that she was convinced Hermione and her brother really belonged together. Hermione knew that the Weasleys and her mother and father all shared the same opinion, and that was why she wasn't keen on sharing the news with them. She chose not to ponder on how Ronald might react.
She just didn't know what to do, and thus she sought for the advice of the one person she knew would never judge her or her feelings but look at everything rationally and run through the options with her –– someone she felt she could rely on at all times; someone Hermione knew only ever would share her opinion when asked about it, without pushing, without prying. Those qualities were valued a truly great deal by Hermione, and always had been.
Hermione couldn't imagine having the child adopted or aborted; she couldn't imagine not having it, but she didn't know just how to go about the situation. She never would have thought that she would get herself in this kind of situation, where adoption or abortion would ever even cross her mind. She nibbled her lip as she came to a halt at the tall gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and her grip on the baby's first sonogram tightened into her left robe pocket.