I was beyond nervous when I Apparated Scorpius and I to my parents' place. We landed in my living room and my mum greeted us immediately, coming over to me and wrapping her arms around me. The second she tightened her grip, she froze and my heart flew to my throat. There was no way she already knew.
"Rose Helena Granger-Weasley tell me you're not pregnant!" she hissed in a quiet voice, eyeing the both of us -of course, she knew. "And before you lie, I saw it the moment you came in. I made and carried that body, I see every time it changes."
I saw Scorpius' jaw drop and pure fear gather behind his eyes as he braced himself for the worst. I swallowed thickly and nodded my head, knowing better than to lie to my mother. She'd know the second it left my mouth, I knew from experience. She was the smartest witch I'd ever known, after all.
Before she could say anything, dad came into the room with Hugo on his heels. His face was hard as he looked at Scorpius, but it melted the second he saw me. I hadn't been home in a few months, and he was obviously in serious need of a hug. That made tonight even harder, I was such a daddy's girl. I was banking on him being as unobservant as always when I walked over to him.
"Rosie!" he greeted, holding me tight and lifting me off my feet in a hug.
Once he sat me back down, I saw some of the tension leave Scorpius' spine. He must've been nervous my father would drop me. He was still tense, don't get me wrong, but that was because he'd gotten Ron Weasley's only daughter pregnant and we weren't even in a relationship. Not exactly the best thing to tell an Auror with an explosive temper.
I hugged Hugo and made introductions before we all headed into the dining room to eat. The table was already full of food I knew my mother didn't cook. I saw a familiar pot holder and knew Grandma Weasley made the food for us. She probably made mum take it in fear of Hugo was starving to death or something.
Scorpius pulled my chair out for me without thinking and I saw my dad glare at him. If I wasn't so on edge, I probably would have chided him. Like she read my mind, mum told him to stop glaring and be nice. That woman and I were seriously linked sometimes, it was a bit scary.
We were eating in an awkward silence, everyone sensing that something was off but only mum knowing for sure. We'd made in through half of dinner when my father's frustration got the best of him and he started asking questions.
"Well, out with it. You're not here to just eat," he said, pausing with his fork and knife in his hands that were resting on the table. "Go ahead and tell me you're dating."
A tight laugh left Scorpius' lips and I punched him in the thigh in response. The last thing we needed was for my dad to think we were making fun of him. That would just make this situation a thousand times worse than it was already going to be. He probably didn't need any more of a reason to kill Scorpius.
"No, we're not dating, sir," he replied, coughing to cover the laughter.
I saw my dad's eyebrows knit together, similarly to the way mine do whenever I'm confused. If he was this angry because he thought we were dating, he would shoot through the roof when he found out why we were really here.
"No, daddy, Scorpius and I aren't dating," I told him, figuring I should just go for it and let the chips fall where they may. "Daddy, I'm pregnant."
Hugo dropped his fork and food flew all across the table, but no one said anything. No one actually said anything for a while, dad just stared at the two of us with fire in his eyes. I could feel the tension wafting off Scorpius as he waited for someone to say something. My mum was just watching what was happening with a guarded expression, but I had no doubt she'd jump in if need be.
"Dad, are you going to say anything?" I finally squeaked, the silence grating on my nerves.
"I'm trying very hard to not say hexes," he replied through his clenched jaw. "Would you like for me to say those?"
"Ronald," mum warned, eyeing him from across the table.
"Hermione! How are you not upset over this?" dad asked, trying to keep from shouting. "Your daughter is carrying a Malfoy!"
I saw Scorpius wince beside me and reached over to hold his hand under the table. This must've been terrible for him, always being compared to his father when they two of them couldn't be more different. A stone of guilt settled in my stomach as I thought about all those years I'd been as blind as my father. It wasn't very fair of me.
"Because being angry won't do anything. She's already pregnant, there's no way to undo that," she replied, placing her hand over his clenched fist on the table. "And putting unnecessary stress on her will harm the baby, whether it's a Malfoy or not –which is very unimportant as long as the baby's healthy."
"Malfoy, I need to speak with you outside," he finally said, turning to look at Scorpius and ignoring mom and my matching looks.
Scorpius got up from his seat, but I moved my hand from his to grasp his arm before he could move from his spot. "Daddy, it's not his fault. We were both careless and now we're dealing with it together."
"Okay, but I still want to speak with him alone," dad replied. "Malfoy, come with me."
"Rose, he isn't going to kill him because that would be irrational and he's more mature than that. Aren't you, Ronald?" mum asked, her tone leaving no room for debate.
"Of course," he grunted, waiting for Scorpius to join him before stalking out of the room.
"Rose Helena Granger-Weasley!" mum scolded the second the door closed. "How could you be so careless? I raised you to respect your body better than this!"
"I know, mum. There's nothing you can say that I haven't already beat myself up over a million times," I told her, noticing Hugo slip out of the room silently with his plate in his hands. "We were drinking and things happened. I don't think we'd ever said more than a couple words to each other before the night of his and Albus' flat warming party."
She sighed in disappointment but said nothing else about it. "I assume you've gone to the healer for your prenatal care, right?"
"Yes, mum. Scorpius is in the academy, he'd never let me go uncared for," I replied without hesitation.
"Speaking of Scorpius, how's he dealing with all of this? How are you dealing with all of this?" she asked, taking a drink from her glass of water.
"He's so sweet and amazing, mum. He refuses to let me doing anything by myself," I replied happily. "I'm amazed by him honestly. Who else would react so well to finding out a girl you hooked up with one time at a party is pregnant? Especially considering I completely ignored him all through school because I listened to dad when I shouldn't have."
"I always told your father it was wrong to force his beliefs onto you," she told me with a faint smile. "I also think you're more than that to him. I can see the way he looks at you, Ro."
"Mum, you're ridiculous. We're just friends who happen to be having a baby together," I sighed, reclining back in my chair. "Also, how do I keep my boobs from aching so much and almost peeing myself all the time?"
"The pee thing is pretty much permanent, but the pain can be helped with a potion. Go to St. Mungo's on Monday before work and ask for a prenatal pain draught. They'll know what you're talking about," she told me. "Just wait until a little pee comes out when you sneeze or it just happens by complete surprise."
The thought made me wince and she laughed, reaching to give my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I know you're worried, love, but you're not alone. Even if Scorpius decides against this, you have your father and me. And everyone else will support you."
Dad and Scorpius returned a little later with Scorpius' seemingly all in one piece and only a little pale. He sat in the place beside me again but didn't speak nor did my dad. I decided we should probably leave and we Apparated back to my flat a little after that, leaving awkward goodbyes in our wake.
"Do you want to talk about what my dad said to you?" I asked after I'd gotten back from the bathroom for the umpteenth time today.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and draining half of it before he spoke. "Your dad is a scary bloke, you know that?"
I groaned and sat on the couch, leaning back and stretching out the kinks in my back. "Did he threaten you? I'm sorry, I won't let him do anything he said he would."
"No, he only said he'd make my death look like an accident if I hurt you," he explained, taking another drink of his beer. "He told me it was my job to take care of you and baby bean, like I didn't already know that. Then he told me he'd have my ass if something were to happen, not that I'll let it."
"I am an independent woman! I don't need you or any other man to take care of me!" I shrieked without sitting up. "I would be more outraged if I wasn't exhausted right now."
"Well, you did develop a spleen today," he grinned, tossing his empty bottle into the bin before coming over to me. "Here, let me help you get in bed."
"No, I'm just going to sleep right here," I replied, turning to cuddle into the couch.
He didn't respond and I figured that meant he was going to leave me be. Then I felt his arms wrap around me as he lifted me. I gasped in surprise and he just ignored it, packing me easily to my room and sitting me on my bed. Then he bent down to take off my shoes for me, completely taking me aback.
"Scorp, what are you doing?" I asked in surprise, my voice a bit hushed.
"You don't need to sleep on the couch, you need to sleep in your bed," he explained easily, tossing my trainers into my closet and pulling my covers down so I could get under them.
"Wait, I need to take the rest of my clothes off," I whined, laying back so I could shimmy out of my jeans. When Scorpius turned his back quickly, I laughed and said, "You've already seen me naked, why get shy on me now?"
He laughed but kept his back to me so I shrugged and took off my jumper as well. I slid under the covers in my knickers and tank top, covering up my bits so he wouldn't freak out. Once I gave him the okay, he turned back around and pulled my covers the rest of the way up to my chin before pressing a fleeting kiss to my forehead.
"Goodnight, Rosie," he whispered, then he leaned down and kissed my belly through the covers and said, "Goodnight, bean. I love you."
His actions melted my heart and made my stomach flip all at once, but not in an uncomfortable way this time. He really was amazing, I did luck out in the baby daddy department. He winked at me before shutting my bedroom door and I heard the crack of him Disapparating back home, leaving me with a head full of emotions I had no idea how to decipher.
I'm trying to keep the characters true to who they are. Leave me a review and tell me what you think and if I've accomplished my goal.