Okay, here's another chappie. Enjoy:

Chapter 6

Hermione's Secret

"So," Hermione said, taking Ginny's hand and sitting next to her on the couch. Ron plopped himself down on Ginny's other side and Harry sat beside him. "How are you?"

Ginny smiled. "Perfect," she said. "And you? What's happened with you? Gosh, I have so many questions," she finished in a rush.

"Well, unfortunately," cut in Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen doorway, "they'll have to wait until after lunch. Come on, all of you, to the table." The pink had returned to Mrs. Weasley's cheeks, Ginny noticed.

Hermione drew Ginny off a little to the side as they filed into the kitchen. She lowered her voice. "We need to talk," she said simply. She glanced at Ron and Harry closeby. "Later," she decided. Then, with a pang of guilt, Ginny remembered Hermione's hints of something important in the letters. In all the rush and excitement she had forgotten completely about her friend's news.

Fred and George had taken time off from the still thriving Wizard Wheezes and were sitting, napkins positioned comically at their necks as bibs, at the table, eyeing the veritable feast before them with shining eyes. Bill and Fleur had magically connected their chairs into a little bench and Fleur had scooted as close as possible to her husband of three years. Charlie had even arrived from Romania and seemed to be explaining the use of a rubber mouse toy to a furrow-browed Mr. Weasley.

"Welcome home, Gin-Gin," said George, not taking his eyes off the food.

"Yes, welcome, welcome," said Fred impatiently. "Mum, can we start in on all this?" he added.

"Oh, you two!" chided Mrs. Weasley, but her voice held amusement. Nothing could ruin this complete family reunion.

"Thank you, guys," said Ginny, taking a seat between Harry and Ron. "Mum, I didn't know everyone would be coming," she continued, turning to her mother.

"Oh, I know, dear. Isn't it a treat?" said Mrs. Weasley, piling a generous helping of mashed potatoes on Ron's plate. "Now, dear," she said as Ron began a protest. "You've got to get your fill. You're looking thin." To Ginny Ron looked more fit than ever, but she supposed Ron would always be thin to their mother's fawning eye.

"Are you all staying for Christmas?" said Harry, taking the words right out of Ginny's mouth. He turned and gave Ginny a sly grin. Ginny scowled at him.

"Well, I've only got a two day leave," said Charlie over a mouthful of ham. "So it's back to Romania tomorrow morning."

"And we promised Fleur's parents we'd be there for Christmas, so it's the same for us."

"And George and I are gone day after that," put in Fred.

"So it'll just be you four kiddies and the 'rents on the actual day," agreed George.

"Well, that's not entirely true," Mr. Weasley muttered, almost indiscernibly. Quickly he piled another spoonful of mashed potato into his mouth.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed. "What was that, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley frantically pointed to his full mouth.

Mrs. Weasley glared rather wiltingly at her husband until he finished his mouthful and swallowed.

"Well…," he began nervously. "You see, Molly, the office…," he paused. "Well, I mean…Molly," he tried again.

"What Dad's trying to say, Mum," cut in George, "is that he's been called in to work on Christmas Day."

"And Christmas Eve," said Mr. Weasley quietly. He cleared his throat. "Has anyone got a water?" Harry passed Mr. Weasley his untouched glass.

"What!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Everyone cringed. Seeming to realize she had just yelled, Molly lowered her voice to a dangerous whisper. "You've got to work, Arthur? The Christmas your son comes home from killing the worst dark wizard of all time, you've got to work?"

"Well, Mum," said Ron bravely. "It's not really a big deal. I mean…,"

"Au contraire!" Mrs. Weasley screeched, her accent terrible. "It is a very big deal."

"Well," said Mr. Weasley, "Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, and Fleur won't be here so I don't see…,"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly.

"No, really, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "It's fine with all of us," he gestured to the three sitting beside him. Ginny nodded vigorously.

Mrs. Weasley turned her gaze on Harry then Ginny then Ron then Hermione and back to Harry. The table was completely quiet. Ginny thought it brought new meaning to the words "so silent you could hear a pin drop." She found herself holding her breath.

Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily. "All right then. I suppose if it's all right with all of you then I shouldn't be complaining."

Ginny saw Fred and George look and each other in shock and then at Harry in awe. Mr. Weasley blinked and quickly returned to his food before his wife changed her mind.

The rest of the meal passed very well. Mrs. Weasley for silent for only a minute or two before she seemed to decide that she ought to be happy that everyone was home. Moments later she was back to her regular, bubbly self, asking questions and telling everyone how thin they looked.

"Ribs, Gin?" queried Harry from beside her. Ginny looked up and she was trapped again. He was so close and his eyes were so…magical, for lack of a better word. Her stomach dropped and her heart pumped a little faster. Everything around her seemed to blur. She blinked and swallowed. Stop it, Ginny, she thought to herself.

"Erm…Ginny?" said Harry, his brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, erm…yeah…yeah, I'm fine," Ginny muttered, and forced a smile onto her mouth. Everything came back into focus and noise filled her ears again.

"So…ribs?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," she said. Harry slid a few sticky pieces onto her plate. Their hands brushed. Ginny pulled her hand back involuntarily, it was as though his touch had burned her. Harry didn't seem to notice.

Ginny felt the place where their skin had touched burn for minutes afterward.

o.o

"So Mum said you're back with Dean," said Ron. The four of them were clustered into Ron's attic room. Ginny and Hermione were sitting on the bed, leaning their backs on the wall, Harry and Ron lounged on the floor. Ron tried to make this comment sound nonchalant, but it didn't exactly work. He sounded a bit accusing.

Hermione gave Ron a glare. Ginny had a feeling that if they had been sitting at a table she would have kicked him. Obviously Hermione had warned Ron not to talk to Ginny about her love life. But what was said was said. Ginny cleared her throat.

"Not really…anymore," she said.

Harry looked up from a magazine that was open on the floor before him a little too quickly. They all heard his neck crack. "Ouch," he mumbled.

Ginny couldn't keep from snorting.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her and shook her head. "You just wait, Ginevra, you just wait," he said jokingly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"So you're not dating Dean?" said Ron sternly.

Hermione glared at him again.

"Just wanted to confirm," said Ron sheepishly.

"No, I'm not dating Dean right now," said Ginny firmly.

"Okay. Good," said Ron. Was it just her imagination or did Ginny see her brother give Harry a meaningful glance. She shook it from her mind.

"How long ago did you break up?" Hermione asked. She sounded concerned.

"Oh," said Ginny, shrugging. "A few days ago."

"That long, eh?" said Ron, laughing a little. Hermione glared at him again. "Sorry," he mumbled. Ginny watched more closely this time. Ron definitely gave Harry a look. There was a long pause.

Hermione suddenly glanced at the slim watch on her wrist. "11 already!" she exclaimed. "Ginny and I had better get to bed."

"All right. See you," said Ron, scooting over to peer at Harry's magazine as well.

"Night," Ginny said, getting up off the bed.

Harry raised his hand in goodbye. "Night," he said.

o.o

Ginny knew that Hermione wanted to talk about whatever it was that was so important. The thing from the letters. It was the way in which Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it again, like a fish. Ginny decided to let Hermione come about to it whenever she liked. She made pleasant but pointless conversation as they shifted through their belongings. Ginny located her nightshirt, remembering for a moment the incident from earlier, and pulled it over her head. Finally Hermione sighed and Ginny stayed perfectly still in case any movement would cause Hermione to retreat from speaking.

"Ginny, we need to talk."

Ginny merely nodded and waited for Hermione to speak again.

"Well…there's this thing…and…well, there's this thing…wow, this is harder than I thought it would be," she drifted off with a humorless laugh.

"Just calm down," said Ginny gently, taking Hermione's hand and sitting her down on the bed beside her. "Just talk to me," she finished soothingly.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay," she said finally. "I'm so sorry Ginny, to push this onto you, but I still haven't said anything to anyone and it's been months now."

There was a long pause in which Hermione seemed to try to find the right words.

"Okay. I'm just going to say it…bluntly…because there's really no other way to say it."

"Okay," said Ginny, nodding and not taking her eyes off Hermione's face.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

o.o

It was the closest Ginny had ever come to fainting. She saw everything whirl around her and suddenly she was pulled back into a center she didn't know she had and a deafening silence crowded her ears.

"You're…,"

"Pregnant," said Hermione firmly, biting her lip.

Ginny got control of herself and her eyes widened as she took in the word slowly. Such a powerful word, Ginny thought.

"Pregnant," she repeated.

"Pregnant," Hermione confirmed.

"And…Ron?"

"Ron, yes, Ron," said Hermione.

"Ohmigosh," Ginny let it out in one big sigh. "Wow," she said finally. "How long?"

"4 months," said Hermione rather grimly.

"What? How?"

"I couldn't tell anyone without you here and I didn't know what to do so…," she paused, "I've been using a Concealment Charm and wearing flowy robes. I don't think anyone had noticed."

"Trust me," said Ginny, thinking of her mother's probable reaction, "no one has noticed."

"Okay good."

"Why good? You're going to have to tell, Hermione, and soon. You can do great Concealment Charms, but not that great."

Hermione almost laughed. "I know, I know. But what do I do?"

"What do you do?" repeated Ginny, incredulous. "You tell Ron! And then you tell Mum! I can just see her reaction. She's going to flip but she'll be so happy. A grandmother. And me, an aunt!"

"I know! Isn't it crazy?" said Hermione, cheeks turning pink.

"Crazy," said Ginny.

"What are you, a parrot?" asked Hermione, a laugh escaping her. Ginny couldn't help laughing a little too. This was all so surreal.

Suddenly, at a realization, Ginny felt dinner rising from her stomach. This sensation must have registered on her face for Hermione looked at her, eyebrows raised in slight concern.

"That means that you…that you…that you and Ron…you and my brother…that you…," Ginny couldn't say it.

"That we had sex? Yes, I guess it does mean that," said Hermione, looking amused now that the hammer had been dropped.

Ginny couldn't help shivering a little at the thought. "Okay," she said hurriedly. "No details…please," she finished earnestly.

o.o

All right. I know, rather abrupt ending…but whatever. I wonder how many of you absolutely KNEW Hermione was going to be pregnant. The next chapter will be fuzzy.