AN: I'm so completely overwhelmed by all the reviews and love I've received. I try to respond to everyone but if you've reviewed without signing in then let me say thank you for reviewing and if I missed anyone that did sign then thank you too. Thanks to the reviews I've got another chapter completed and another half done with my fingers still going. Thanks to Astarte_Lydianna and Gnoir, two very patient people to whom I owe the whole story. Now on with the adventure.

Disclaimer: All recognized characters and situations belong to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing in the Harry Potter Universe and make no money from writing this story.

Hermione apparated them to the Forest of Dean and immediately began casting the protection charms.

Harry put up the tent and started a fire.

Neither said anything, both preoccupied by their very different thoughts.

The fight with Nagini had been too close for comfort, and the searing pain in Harry's head as Voldermort arrived on the scene froze his whole body completely. If it hadn't been for Hermione, he would have died then and there.

And seeing Nagini coming out of Bathilda Bagshot's body like that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Hermione, on the other hand wasn't thinking about the fight at all. She was desperately counting back the weeks in her head, trying to make the terrifying thought in her mind go away, telling the resulting calculation that it was wrong and there was no way.

She was also berating herself for not realising and allowing the days to meld together the way they had. It couldn't possibly be six weeks since Ron left.

But she couldn't tell Harry, she couldn't give him another mind-boggling worry until she was absolutely sure. And she couldn't make sure with him around.

Once Harry had put the tent was up and Hermione was sure that she had placed enough spells on the surrounding area, they went inside and sat down at the wooden table.

Hermione began to shake immediately. Harry assumed the shock had caught up with her and walked around the table to put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off and moved to the other side of the tent.

"'Mione, what's wrong?" Harry asked, astounded. She had never shrugged him off in almost seven years of friendship.

"Nothing, I just felt claustrophobic suddenly" she lied.

"Okay. Just breathe, calm down. Can I do something?" Harry asked, he didn't like seeing Hermione so frazzled.

"No, honestly Harry I'm fine. I'll take the first watch" she said, marching out of the tent.

….

The next day Hermione sat with her books around her again. She began to look for the spell or potion that might prove her worries wrong.

"Hermione you've looked through the books a hundred times. We won't be able to summon the sword, we need to think of another way" Harry tried taking the book out of her hand. The obsessive way she had been looking through them that morning was worrying him.

"Harry I need to keep busy" she lied.

Luckily the next book she came across gave her exactly what she needed. She told Harry to go and look for food, promising to stop looking through the books, and watched him walk until he was out of sight before going back inside and pulling her wand from her sleeve.

With a deep breath she cast the spell and felt the world crash down around her as a blue light shone from her wand.

She cast the spell three times, just to make absolutely sure, but there was no doubt about it. She sat down heavily on the bed and put her head in her hands, allowing the tears to slowly leak from her eyes.

She allowed herself the time to cry but knew she had to pull herself together before Harry came back, because she had to tell him, and to do that she would have to be calm.

She cast 'Aguamenti' into the basin of the kitchen and washed her face, trying to hide the evidence of her tears. She tied the tendrils of hair that had come loose back up and made herself look half-way presentable and sat at the table just as Harry walked back in.

"Look what I found" Harry exclaimed with false cheer, as he held up a chicken.

"That's brilliant Harry. We should be good for a couple of days with that" Hermione tried smiling but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hermione, before I went out I was looking through the book about Dumbledore, the one you found at Bathlda Bagshot's house last night. I found something that I recognize from somewhere but I don't know where. Could you look at it, I think it's a rune" Harry asked.

After the failure to find information during their trip to Godric's Hollow, Harry really hoped that this would get them somewhere.

He opened the book to the page where a letter from Gellert Grindelwald was presented and a triangle with a circle and a line through the middle was drawn at the bottom under Gellert's signature.

"It's not a rune Harry, I'm sure of that because I've been researching this ever since we left Bill and Fleur's wedding" Hermione pointed her wand at her beaded bag and pulled out the battered copy of The Tales of Beedle and Bard that Dumbledore had willed to her.

She turned the pages quickly, finally coming to the one she was looking for and pointed at the same symbol that was in the book that Harry was still holding. "I also saw it on a grave in the cemetery last night"

"The wedding. Hermione you are a genius, an absolute genius" Harry exclaimed.

"Well thanks, but what in Merlin's name are you talking about Harry"

"I saw the symbol at the wedding, Luna's dad was wearing it on a chain around his neck. I bet he could tell us more about it" Harry was practically vibrating. Finally they had a lead.

"So we go to the Lovegood's. They live just over the hill from Ottery St. Catchpole" Hermione declared and Harry nodded his agreement.

"We go tomorrow" Hermione continued, and Harry nodded again.

"Let's cook, eat and get an early night. I've got a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day" Harry suggested, taking Hermione's hand and pulling her outside to the fire.

They sat in silence as they ate the chicken. Harry's mind was on the next day. He kept flicking through Rita Skeeter's book, hoping to find more information on the symbol, but he came up blank.

Hermione kept opening her mouth to tell him, she would just end up closing it again. At one point she managed to say "Harry" but as soon as he looked up she just shook her head and finished with "Merry Christmas"

Harry smiled and said "Merry Christmas" back to her before getting up and going to bed.

She just couldn't tell him.

…..

The next morning they packed up the camp and Hermione took her turn with the Locket.

Immediately she felt pain in her lower abdomen, causing her to bend over and gasp, gaining Harry's attention immediately.

"Hermione! What is it?" Harry exclaimed as he grabbed her.

Hermione caught her breath and managed to stand up straight, "nothing, just this stupid locket messing with my head, I'm fine Harry"

"No you're not. The locket has only ever affected our moods, it's never caused pain before" Harry disagreed, trying to take the locket from around her neck.

"Harry, I swear I'm fine. Come on, we need to get going" Hermione reassured him.

The pain had reduced to a dull ache and Hermione was sure there was nothing wrong, it was just the locket trying to bring her fears to life.

She did her best to put it out of her mind and concentrated on her destination, turning on the spot, and taking herself and Harry to the bottom of the hill that Luna's house was situated on.

She discreetly put her hand over her abdomen, willing the pain away, as they walked up the steep hill. Harry kept giving her side-glances but didn't say anything more about it as Hermione knocked on the front door of the large rook shaped house.

Xenophilius Lovegood opened the door looking extremely disheveled and distressed.

"Mr. Lovegood?" Hermione enquired. His appearance was very much altered from the last time she saw him.

"Who's asking?" Luna's father rasped.

"Mr. Lovegood, we met at Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry Potter" Harry held out his hand.

"Mr. Potter, come in, come in" Mr. Lovegood ushered them into the house.

"Merry Christmas" Harry tried to begin the conversation on friendly terms, "Where's Luna?"

"She'll be along shortly, she's down by the stream" Mr Lovegood appeared to be shaking.

"Can I get you some tea?" Mr. Lovegood asked, shuffling off up the round staircase to the kitchen before they could answer.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him back against the wall, "Harry be careful. If I'm not very much mistaken that is an Erumpent Horn. The slightest wrong move and that thing will explode. What in Merlin's name does he think he's doing keeping that in his house?"

"Hermione are you sure you're all right? You keep rubbing your belly" Harry asked, seeing Hermione holding her abdomen again.

"I'm fine Harry" Hermione dismissed his worry, now was definitely not the time to tell him.

Mr. Lovegood came back down the stairs, wringing his hands and without tea.

"Mr. Lovegood, you forgot the tea, is everything okay?" Harry asked, stepping forward.

"Yes Yes, sorry just so excited to have Harry Potter in my house" Mr Lovegood ran back upstairs.

He came back carrying a tray with three teacups and a pot containing a fowl smelling drink, Hermione instantly felt sick on her first sniff as Mr. Lovegood handed her a cup.

"Mr. Lovegood, we wondered if you could tell us what the symbol on your necklace stands for" Harry dove right into the reason they were there; too much time had already been wasted.

"This..." Mr. Lovegood held up the necklace, "is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, it is how those of us who believe identify each other"

"And what exactly are the Deathly Hallows?" Hermione asked, avoiding the tea at all costs.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the Three Brothers?" Mr. lovegood asked.

Harry shook his head but Hermione contrarily nodded, pulling out her copy of the Tales of Beedle and Bard from her beaded bag.

She flipped to the page where the Deathly Hallows' symbol was drawn and showed the title to Harry.

"The tale of the Three Brothers teaches that you cannot escape death. The Three Brothers tried but eventually death gained each of them, although the last brother left with death when he chose, unlike his older brothers who enjoyed deaths' gifts too freely. But it's a children's story, what does it have to do with anything?" Hermione scoffed.

"Many, like myself, believe that the Three Brothers are in fact Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverell. And if that is true, then the deathly hallows do exist. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility cloak are out there in the world, just waiting to be reunited" Mr. Lovegood countered.

Hermione and Harry glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. Harry has the invisibility cloak.

"Well thank you very much Mr. Lovegood. We really must be going" Hermione began to put her cup down.

Mr. Lovegood's head snapped towards the window and back towards the pair, he began twisting his hands together again, "but you haven't even had any of your Gurdyroot tea" he spluttered.

Hermione knew immediately that something was wrong, "Mr. Lovegood where's Luna?"

"I told you, she's fishing by the stream, drink up" Mr. Lovegood coaxed, whipping his head towards the window again.

Hermione knew then exactly what had happened. She drank the disgusting tea down and felt her stomach roll immediately; she repressed the heave and stood up, "How long do we have Mr. Lovegood?"

Luna's father began to rock back on forward in his chair, "I'm sorry. You have to understand, they took Luna; they have my Luna"

Harry cottoned on just as quickly, "Hermione what do we do?"

"We wait until they come, we have to or they'll think he lied and hurt him. Then I'll get us out of here" Hermione was eyeing up the Erumpent Horn.

She took Harry's hand.

"But you do realize I can't let you go. They have my Luna" Mr. Lovegood screeched.

He made to grab at Harry just as the first death eaters crashed through the walls of the house. Harry, regretting it before he even did it, punched Mr. Lovegood square on the jaw, knocking him back just as Hermione shot a spell at the horn, causing it to explode. He felt the pull behind his bellybutton as Hermione apparated them away.

Harry found himself in yet another forest, once he got his bearings after they landed. He turned to start casting the protective enchantments and found Hermione doubled over, heaving and vomiting. She was cursing Xenophilius Lovegood and his Gurdyroot tea as she wiped her forehead on the back of her sleeve.

"Hermione are you okay?" Harry asked, once he was sure she had stopped heaving.

"No. No Harry I'm not okay. I'm nowhere near ok. Oh Merlin. Harry I'm pregnant"

AN: Dun Dun Duuuhhh. Uh Oh! I guess they forgot the old contraception charm huh :P

I hope everyone enjoyed tonight's installment. It would be lovely to see reviews…