Chapter 2: A Really Bad Joke
Harry James Potter did not enjoy being woken up in the middle of the night after an exceptionally long day at work. Actually, come to think of it, he did not enjoy being woken up in the middle of the night at all. So, when he awoke to loud and continuous knocking on the door at 1:56AM, he was not amused.
Grumpily, he reached for his glasses, which were perched precariously on his night table, and jammed them onto his face. Getting out of bed, proved to require more energy, so it took him quite a few tries to finally swing his legs off the bed and stand up, but when he did he was even more pissed off. Whoever was knocking would not fucking stop!
"I'm coming!" He yelled forcefully, as he made his way through his flat to the front door. Just as suddenly as it had started, the knocking ceased. As he yanked the door open, he was surprised at finding a visibly shaken Hermione. Her eyes were red and puffy, so she had been crying, he thought.
"Ummm, hey, Hermione," Harry said nervously. He stepped back, so that she could enter. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but didn't or couldn't. She merely walked past Harry, sat down on his couch, and opened her bag. Harry couldn't help but think something was wrong.
He tried to think of what could possibly be worrying Hermione so much that she had come to his home so late, but he drew a blank. Lately, she'd withdrawn from him and the Weasley's. Every single time since that fateful Sunday night that she'd shown up plastered, and they'd had incredible sex, she'd refused to go to family suppers at the Burrow, responded in negative to any lunch he asked her to, and had even told Ginny she did not want to be a bridesmaid anymore. Of course, the Weasley clan thought all of this was Ron's fault, and had begun taking out their frustration on him and his new wife, who, thank God, was not pregnant. Molly had even "forgotten" to invite Ron and Susan for the picnic that had been held the day before in hopes that Hermione would come along, even if it did mean towing Draco in her wake. If only they knew, that it wasn't Ron's fault, he thought, grimly.
He sat down on the other end of the couch and looked at Hermione expectantly. She continued to say nothing, choosing instead to reach over and hand him a white and blue plastic tube and a black and white picture. He took them in his hands and looked at what appeared to be a tiny blob on the picture. Not understanding what he was looking at, he chose to look at the plastic tube. A plus sign stared back happily at him. He looked up to find Hermione staring down at her clenched hands, tears silently escaping her eyes. And that's when it hit him: she was pregnant. God, he could just kill Ron!
"So, does Ron know?" he asked quietly, scooting closer to her.
"Huh? Why would I tell him?" she asked, finally looking up at him, with confusion in her eyes.
"I mean, I know he's married now, but I think it's best if you tell him you're about to have his kid."
"Harry, I'm not having Ron's child," she responded, looking at him seriously.
"Oh, well, when did you make the appointment? I can go with you. You will need someone to look after you after a procedure like that. And maybe we should line up a therapist for you to speak to, so-"
"Harry, I'm not having Ron's child because I'm not pregnant with Ron's child. This baby is your baby," Hermione stated, looking at him even more seriously, if that were even possible.
"WHAT?! Hermione, please tell me you're joking! Please tell me this is some weird, sick, and twisted joke!"Harry bellowed, jumping to his feet.
Slowly, Hermione rose from the couch and walked over to stand directly in front of Harry.
"No, Harry. I am not joking. I am pregnant, and in less than eight months we will become-"
But Harry didn't let her finish.
"You can't have this baby, Hermione. Please, I'm begging you. Ginny and I are set to be married next month, and if she were to find out about this, not only would there be no wedding it would destroy her, as well," Harry implored.
"Would you have me do away with your child because you're too afraid to be a man and take care of your responsibility?! While I agree with abortion in certain circumstances, this is not one of them. Harry, listen to me. We are orphans, we have a chance now to form a family, not a typical one because I know we will never be involved romantically, but we will be a family, nonetheless. I'm sorry that we will end up hurting Ginny and the Weasley's, but we have to do right by our child. His or her needs are greater than ours," she replied stepping closer to take his hands.
But Harry merely stepped back, and shook his head.
"Then I won't be a part of this. I'm sorry, Hermione, but I finally have a shot at being happy, and I won't allow some mistake to ruin this for me. What happened between us was an accident, and while I regret that it's put you in this situation, I can't be a part of this. I refuse to be a part of this. For once in my life I want to be selfish. I've lived too long for other people. I deserve to not be a hero. I deserve to be a normal man. Listen, I can give you money to get rid of it, but I won't be part of its life if you choose to have it. I have everything to lose, and nothing to gain from you continuing this pregnancy," he coldly stated, looking straight at her.
"Did you even hear anything that you just said? How dare you even say those things? You, who know what it's like to be without parents, without love, would so carelessly toss aside your child for your idea of happiness?"
"I won't change my mind, Hermione. This child will never be a part of my life, and regardless of your choice, after what has happened between us, you can no longer be a part of my life either. I'm sorry it had to end like this, but-"
"No, Harry," Hermione interrupted, voice slightly shaking. "You are the one who is not allowed to be a part of our lives. From this day forward, I no longer know you. My child will never know of you. You will not seek us out when you have realized your mistake for I will not forgive you. Yes, what we did was a mistake, but our child is a gift. A gift you do not deserve in the slightest. However, before I leave I do have one question to ask." Here she stopped to grab her bag, and walk to the door, a bewildered and enraged Harry following her.
"What would your mother think?" and with that Hermione was out the door walking down the hall, towards the lift.
After having slammed the door, Harry proceeded to throw everything within reach. How dare she even ask something like that?! Enraged, Harry went to his photo albums and proceeded to rip apart every picture he had of Hermione. But when he has done, he only felt worse. Dumping the ripped pictures in a trash bag, he walked to his study.
Sitting down at his desk, he quickly penned a note to his Kingsley, telling him, he wouldn't be able to make it in to work the next day. He called Artemis, his tawny-colored owl, and tied the note to her leg, patting her softly once he was done.
Once she'd taken off, Harry went back to bed, knowing that he would lie in bed tossing and turning, thinking of Hermione and the child she carried. His child.
So many emotions had been felt by Harry that night and so many thoughts had run through his head that he'd failed to notice quite a few things with Hermione's appearance. Like the fact that she had more bags under her eyes than a grocery store and that her skin had taken on an unhealthy pallor.
However, it would be safe to assume even if Harry were to have noticed these things in Hermione, he wouldn't have cared.
Sooner than he thought possible, Harry once more drifted off to sleep, the forgotten sonogram and pregnancy test now lying underneath his couch, waiting to be found by an unsuspecting Weasley.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I really appreciate all the responses I have been getting. You guys are so amazing, and I just love reading your comments.
In regards to one comment made by GottaGetBackUp about Harry being kind of mean….yes, Harry will be mean in this one. But before I get tomatoes and other veggies thrown at me, let me explain.
Harry has spent all of his life being everyone's hero. He's had to always choose the higher road, and forego his pursuit of happiness in order to appease the masses, so now he wants to be selfish. I think JKR made a great point of showing how tired Harry was of always being "used" in OTP. The Harry in that book was a little darker, and I was so happy with that.
Of course, Harry is tired of being put on a pedestal. In my opinion, heroes who don't kook to be heroes sometimes want a break, and this is Harry's.
So, will Harry step up? Which Weasley finds the pregnancy test and sonogram? And, when will Hermione break dear Draco's heart?
Please reviews and let me know what you think!