Disclaimer: Hmmm… Nope I still don't own Harry Potter!

Well since you've all been so lovely reviewing my last chapter, I'm uploading the next one. I hope you love it! Don't be too mad at Sirius. Yes he's being an idiot but give him a chance. Hehe enjoy! Review everyone! The more reviews, the faster the next chapter goes up.

Chapter Ten.

She'd made it back to Hogsmead in one piece. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she made her way up to the castle with as much speed as possible. Images kept flashing through her head - his face when he'd realised. Harry's face. Him calling after her as she fled. Did everyone know now? What would they think of her? Would she be expelled? She had nowhere to go yet. She had counted on keeping this a secret long enough to come up with something. By the time she reached the entrance hall she was practically running to her room. She needed to be alone - to sort everything out in her head. She dove straight onto her bed and placed her head firmly in the pillow where she tried to control her cries.

A few hours later there was a soft knock at her door. She was unsure whether to open it or not but then she heard a much longed for voice. "Hermione? It's Ginny. I'm coming in okay?"

Hermione sat up from her bed to see a slightly concerned looking redhead. "Mi? Are you alright hun?" she said placing an arm around her friend. That was all it took. Hermione was sobbing loudly into Ginny's shoulder. "Hey hey... it's alright. Everything is going to be fine." Ginny soothed.

"I'm so sorry" Hermione sobbed. "I should have said something earlier but I was so scared. What would everyone think? This isn't me Ginny. This wasn't meant to be my life." Hermione gripped on to Ginny a little tighter, burying her head even further into Ginny's shoulder.

Ginny pulled the other girl slightly away from her so that she could hear what she was about to say clearly. "Now listen here Hermione Granger." she said looking into her friend's frightened face "No one thinks badly of you, understand? I think everyone was just a little... surprised by everything that's all. We're going to sort this all out. You aren't alone anymore. Everyone is going to be there for you."

Hermione started to wipe away some of the tears. "You're a good friend Ginny... thank you." she said hiccuping softly "It's a relief to know that I have someone to confide in now."

"...Oh I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore" said Ginny slowly. "You see after your sudden departure everyone had a lot of questions... which were soon answered by mum's screams from the stairs. I guess you can imagine what ensued when Ron and Harry found out. Let's just say that it took both Lupin and Shacklebolt to pull Ron off... and that was before Harry got stuck into him."

"Harry hit Sirius?" Hermione jumped up shocked... appalled. "No Ginny. That's not right! Listen I knew exactly what I was doing. Sirius is Harry's Godfather - I shouldn't have come between them like this. No! NO!"

"Slow down Hermione. I didn't say Harry hit him. I mean he certainly wanted to but he didn't. He just laid into him verbally."

"Saying what?" Hermione asked, slightly shocked. Ginny looked a little uncomfortable. "What did he say Gin?"

"He said... well he said that Sirius shouldn't have tried it on with you. That you weren't some bar skank - you were different... special." Ginny looked at her friend. "Basically he said that Sirius didn't deserve you."

A long time passed before Hermione said anything. "It wasn't like that Ginny... how Harry said it made it sound as if he took advantage of me. As if he treated me like some girl he'd picked up in a pub." Hermione looked up at her friend. "It may have been like that after but... that night. It was different. He was different. I could see it in his eyes. We were both so damaged... and hurting, but over the Summer he had become everything to me. He helped me through my grief." She took a deep breath. "I fell in love with him Gin" she whispered looking up into her friend's caring face "... and for those few hours I thought he loved me back."

Ginny sat looking at the girl in front of her. She was heartbroken over Sirius Black. "Oh Hermione. The pain will go away you know. You'll find someone else and eventually you'll forget all about Sirius."

"That's just it Ginny. I won't. I'll have this constant reminder of him with me everyday." she said gesturing to her slightly rounded abdomen. "This baby isn't going anywhere, and I don't know if I'm ready to take all of this on right now."

"I know you. When you're determined you can do anything Mi - you've just gotta have some faith in yourself at the moment."

"But this is... this is... it's not a school assignment Gin. It's a life, that I'm gonna be responsible for. How am I supposed to handle that alone?" she asked letting the tears fall again.

"Your not!" came a voice from the doorway. "That's what we're here for."

Hermione looked up to see Harry and Ron standing inside her doorway. "I... I..." Hermione didn't know what to say.

Her face must have given away the surprise she felt at seeing the two people she had least expected to see at that moment. But then again why wouldn't they be there? They were Harry and Ron, her best friends. They'd been through everything together so far, so why stop here?

Ron moved over to sit on Hermione's other side. "We're gonna take care of you 'Mione. Harry and Gin and I... and the Order... we're all here for you."

Hermione practically threw her arms around Ron. "Thank you." she whispered into his shoulder. Ginny smiled at her brother over Hermione's head. She knew that this was hard for him, which made her even prouder of the way he was supporting his friend. Not that long ago - before Hermione's world had fallen apart - most people had assumed that the two would wind up together. Knowing that she was in love with someone else would have been killing him inside.

"Don't go giving up on me now." said Ron with a smirk. "I never thought I'd see the day when you said you couldn't handle something."

"Yeah I know. It was a shock to me too... but I'm working on it." Hermione said with a hiccup. Ron gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, trying to reassure her. She had always been the one in control. Knowing that something was happening to her that was out of her control - He couldn't imagine how hard that must be for her. He could kill Sirius for what he'd done.

Harry had not made any sounds or gestures other than to nod along with Ron's comments. Ginny made eye contact with her boyfriend. "Come on Ron. I think lunch will be ready by now". Ron took this as his cue to leave Harry and Hermione alone. He gave Hermione another hug before following his sister out the door.

Harry remained by the door. "He was my Godfather." he whispered.

"I'm so sorry Harry." Hermione whispered. Her heart contracted as she bore witness to the pain she had created. "I've been so selfish. Sirius and I... I never should have let it go as far as it did. I wasn't thinking about anyone but myself. I wasn't thinking about you and how-"

She stopped short when he raised his head, tears in his eyes. "Mi... stop. I understand. I know how you felt about him… feel about him. I just-" he paused to take a breath. "I'm so angry with him. Look what he's done to you. And I don't mean the baby. I mean you. He's broken you in half for Merlin's sake. When I think about how you've been since the summer." He took in a deep breath and continued. "After your parents... you were doing alright... and then he... he breaks your heart to pieces, and leaves you with the feeling of loss once more." Harry's chest was heaving as he spoke. "I'll never forgive him for it."

With that Hermione crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her best friend. She hugged him as tight as she could. Eventually she pulled away looking him straight in the eye. "Yes you will Harry. You have to! For me!" Harry looked back at her like she'd gone insane. "Harry, listen to me. Yes he has handled things terribly... but what is happening is between the two of us. This should NOT affect your relationship with your godfather." Harry went to speak but Hermione spoke over the top of him. "I know it has! But I wish it hadn't. I regret it terribly. Please try to do this for me. Yes you can be mad at him, but eventually you have to forgive him... alright?"

Hermione felt her insides churning while she gauged Harry's reaction to her speech. She was telling the truth when she'd said that she regretted the rift she had made between the two men. But to be honest, it had hurt her more than she'd thought to tell her best friend to forgive the man who had broken her heart, when she herself couldn't. She was still staring at him when he spoke a minute later.

"I can't promise that my anger will fade... but I'll try."

"It will... thank you." she said, wrapping her arms around him once more. This time Harry couldn't help but return her infectious hug.

"So you're gonna be a mum Mi..." He said looking at her.

"A mum? Oh my gosh I hadn't thought of myself like that yet. It always just seemed like Hermione and baby." Harry laughed at her shocked expression. "But in around 5 months that's what I'll be known as... its surreal."

"Well you can always opt for Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, The Order... and baby." Harry said with a slight grin. "You know that we were completely serious before? We're here for you - always."

Hermione looked up at the dark haired boy. She hadn't felt this relaxed... this OK, in months. "I know... and I'm beginning to feel better already." she said, her lips turning up into the first natural smile she'd given in a long time.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

The next couple of months rolled by without much fuss. She had discussed her options with Dumbledore and it had been decided that she would take an accelerated program which would allow her to complete her NEWTS early, giving her time to prepare for her child. It was apparent that nobody wanted her to feel as if she was alone or being forced to leave Hogwarts anytime soon. She had even been offered an extended residence which meant that she could keep her head girl's rooms into the summer holidays, while she found a more permanent arrangement.

Harry and Ron had been there for her like they had promised. Things almost went back to normal - well as normal as they can be when you feel as if your life has been destroyed. Each day she felt a little better, like she could do this - raise a child. She would run her hand across her rounded tummy and smile. The small flutters in her stomach had recently turned into more active thumps as her baby found it's arms and legs. Ginny was constantly saying that the baby had obvious Quidditch reflexes, a thought which made Hermione sigh on the inside as she thought about where they had come from. There were so many things that Sirius was going to miss. She tried not to think about him often, but in the dead of night when her mind was free from distraction and her child was restless within, she couldn't help but dwell on the fact that he had not come to see her since their last encounter. Of course she had asked him to leave her alone, to let her go. She was adamant that she wanted nothing from him, but something in the depth of her chest knew the truth. That of all the things that she could have from him, the only thing that she truly wanted was his love. Yet still he had not come.

"What do you say 'Mione?"

"Hmm?" Hermione, suddenly remembering where she was, turned to Harry with a small smile. "Sorry Harry I was off on my own planet there for a minute."

"I said, why don't you come down for Quidditch practice today? It should only go for an hour or so and then we can go get a late lunch."

"I don't know guys. It looks like rain and I don't fancy a cold right now." she said with a laugh.

"Ahhh cold shmold. It won't rain. And if it does then I swear to swoop down and fly you back to the castle doors myself."

Hermione laughed as Ginny clapped her brother around the head. "Ron Weasley you will do no such thing. In her condition and your flying skills in wet weather she would be safer on a hippogriff."

"Heyyyy!" Ron argued "I'm not that bloody bad."

"He most certainly is not." said Harry with a slight shudder, obviously remembering the uneasy ride on Buckbeak.

In between more laughs and slaps from Ginny somehow Hermione was wrangled out into the dampening grounds. Pulling her cloak around herself a little tighter she cast a small warming charm on the seat she took in the stands.

Like she had predicted, in no time at all (after exactly 3 laps by Harry around the pitch) dark clouds were rolling in and the sky was letting loose. In less than a minute she was drenched, her curls glued to her cheeks. Pulling her arms above her head she let the rain fall down upon her, smiling as she waved at Harry who was currently chasing Ginny across the pitch. A few minutes later as the rain began to resemble more of a monsoon than a shower she became more aware of the chill that was starting to descend upon her even with her warming charm.

"RON! I'm going to head back!" she yelled over the wind. Taking his wave in her direction as a sign that he had heard her she began making her way back to the castle.

Stopping by the great hall to pick up an apple to tide her over before lunch, she eventually arrived at her rooms. "Hopscotch" she said as the small witch in the portrait smiled at her and swung forward to reveal her door. She wasn't in the room a minute before there was a loud knocking at the door. "Ha! I knew you guys wouldn't last much more. Who said it wouldn't rain hmm?" she yelled playfully towards the door. Dropping her apple on her bed she swung open the door. Her eyes widened with shock at who stood before her.

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