The characters of the Harry Potter universe belong to Ms. Rowlings, and I'm borrowing them for my own imagination.
Chapter 14 - Sirius-ly
"Arthur, what's going on?" Remus asked as he and Severus entered the lobby of St. Mungos.
"I just got here myself. I don't know much myself." Arthur said looking to where Percy was walking toward them.
"Some strange things happened in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione ended up unconscious. The mediwitch will take the two of you to her and Ron. Remus, I need you to come with me." Percy explained.
Remus shrugged at Severus's questioning look. "I'll meet up with you later." Remus said as he followed Percy.
"Percy, what is going on?" Remus asked.
"You won't believe it until you see it." Percy said pushing open the door to one of the hospital rooms.
Remus walked in and scanned the occupants of the room. There were only five, two healers, Kingsley, Harry and a man who looked eerily like Sirius Black.
"It's him. We've run blood tests and everything." Harry said.
"How? Sirius? How?" Remus stuttered.
"We are not really sure. I have the Unspeakables researching it. This afternoon six persons exited the Veil. One died shortly after exiting, but the others have survived and are being examined." Kingsley explained.
"Mr. Black seems to be just fine. He should be watched for the next twenty-fours hours, but I will take care of release papers." The healer said then both the healers exited the room. Next thing Remus knew, he was being engulfed in a tight hug.
"They said it has been three years." Sirius said. "And the war is over."
"Yes." Remus said as he hugged Sirius back.
"And you are Minister of Magic." Sirius said with a bark of a laugh looking at Kingsley.
"Sir, I have the papers you needed." Percy said handing some paperwork to Kingsley.
"Is this your lap dog?" Sirius asked eyeing Percy with scepticism.
"This is Percy Weasley." Remus introduced.
"The ministry loving git?" Sirius asked as if they were insane to trust the young Weasley.
"Do not speak ill of my friend." Kingsley defended. "He was a valued member of the Order, and I couldn't get half my work accomplished without Percy at my side. I am very honored to have him as a part of my team."
"Thank you, sir." Percy said gratefully.
"Percy, do you have news of Hermione?" Harry asked.
"The healer said she had regained consciousness. I sent Dad and Severus back to check on them." Percy reported.
"You entrust her care to Snivillus?" Sirius sneered.
"Sirius, please don't." Remus pleaded.
"Ron's still with her as well." Percy added as if he hadn't been interrupted.
"He won't leave her side." Harry said.
"Harry, I know you'll want to check on her, but there are some matters regarding Sirius that we need to take care. He will need to go before the Wizengamot to be publically cleared. Until then, I am willing to release him into either your or Remus's custody." Kingsley said.
Harry nodded then looked over at Remus. They appeared to be having a silent communication between them.
"Don't everyone volunteer." Sirius said with a huff.
"I can do it. It will be easier for me to move back into Grimald Place." Harry volunteered.
"Why move there, Molly won't mind hosting me at the Burrows." Sirius said. They knew he detested his family home.
"The Burrows was damaged heavily in the war. They are still rebuilding. The Weasleys along with several other families are being housed at Grimald Place and other such places that had been protected by fidelis charms. I have been staying with Remus and others, but it has no room to spare, literally. Your room is open, so we can easily move into it." Harry explained.
"And why can't you easily move into Grimald Place as well?" Sirius asked Remus.
"Well . . . " Remus began but was interrupted when the door to the room slammed open.
"It's true?" Audrey Vance stood there her eyes blazing with anger.
"Yes." Harry said and started to move toward her with his hands up as he that noticed her wand was being held tightly in her hand.
"Well, who's this hottie?" Sirius asked.
"Why you sick, bastard." Audrey exclaimed aiming her wand at Sirius and firing a hex. Sirius ducked out of the way and stayed down as she fired off another.
"Bloody hell, woman!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Malade, pervers, le bâtard. Devrait être resté mort. Croit qu'il peut traiter ma mère comme une prostituée. Il est la prostituée. Je le fais vouloir qu'il ne soit jamais né." Audrey muttered as she continued to fire hexes in Sirius's direction.
"Audrey!" Remus and Harry called out to her trying to calm her down. She was so focused on the man in front her that she didn't see Percy sneak around her and grab her pinning her hand to her side.
"Percy, let go of me!" She exclaimed struggling but his embraced just tightened.
"I know he is a bastard, and you would like to hex him to hell and back. I don't blame you, but you can't. In you anger you may hit someone else." Percy said calmly holding her to him.
"I wouldn't mind hexing you." Audrey muttered darkly.
"I know. You have told me that every other day for the past month." Percy said and Audrey let out a bark of a laugh before she began to cry. Percy turned her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder.
"Percy, can you take her home and explain to her family what had happened. I will notify your dad about his new housemates, then try and find Dora. She will want to know right away." Remus said.
"I will take care of the rest of the paperwork, Percy. Though you will want to check it over tomorrow before it is filed." Kingsley added.
"Yes, sir. I will see you tomorrow." Percy said guiding Audrey out of the room.
"What in the bloody hell was that?" Sirius exclaimed coming up from behind the bed.
"Your daughter." Remus said.
"My what?" Sirius exclaimed.
"I'll explain when we get home." Harry responded. "Remus, can you check on Hermione before you leave. Tell her I will call her tonight."
"Yes. I will also try to warn as many people as possible to avoid any more incidents for the time being." Remus responded. He hugged Sirius tightly, "I'm glad your back." Then he left the room.
"Let's get this paperwork taken care of so you can head home." Kingsley said taking a seat and using the bed as a desk.
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"Hermione." She heard someone calling her name as she slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes blinked open, and she saw Ron's face hovering above her.
"She's awake." Ron called over his shoulder.
She noticed that she was laying in a hospital room.
"What happened?" Hermione asked.
"Don't know. You were unconscious when I arrived in the D.O.M. Percy said he felt a jolt pass between you and the woman you were trying to help." Ron said.
"Welcome back, Miss Granger. I am Healer Miles. How are you feeling?" The healer asked as she approached the side of the bed.
"Fine now. Is their something wrong with me?" Hermione asked.
"Is it okay if I discuss your condition in front of Mr. Weasley?" The Healer Miles asked as she held up her wand to scan. Hermione said yes, and the healer ran her wand over Hermione's stomach and a small fuzzy blob appeared over it.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"Your baby." Healer Miles said.
"What?" Hermione and Ron said in unison.
"You are going to have a baby. It appears that you are three months along." She responded.
"Tha-That's impossible." Hermione said.
"I'm afraid the tests confirm it." Healer Miles said examining the blob.
"This is strange." Healer Miles muttered as Hermione said, "But I have never had sex. I can't be pregnant, let alone three months along."
"Hermione how could this have happened?" Ron asked. Hermione knew he was struggling to keep a level head.
"Hermione, did you come across any pregnant woman lately?"
"Not that I know of." Hermione said then she remembered the woman at D.O.M.'s comment, "But not my child."
"But Healer Miles, I was helping the woman who was dying at the ministry when I was hurt. She grabbed my hand while Ron's brother was examining her. She was muttering something, and I felt a shock run up my arm and through my body. Could . . . " Hermione unsure of how to ask her question.
"Could she have transferred her child to you? Yes, that is a very ancient magic. A mother could pass on her unborn child to another woman. While the child's primary traits would come from the natural parents, it would also take on some traits of the woman carrying the child as well." Healer Miles responded. "The baby appears to have three fingerprints."
"Three what?" Ron asked nonplused.
"Fingerprints. They are the marking on a fetus of the parents that are forming the child. Usually there are only two fingerprints, but on your baby there are three." Healer Miles explained.
"Bloody hell." Ron muttered. Hermione was too shocked to scold him.
"Is there a way to find out whom the father is, since the mother is dead?" Hermione asked.
"Not without a DNA profile to match it too. You could research the woman's history."
"Yes." Hermione said as Ron was still staring slack jawed at the air where the blob had appeared. Hermione reached up and placed her hand under Ron's chin to shut his open mouth, then turned his head to look at her.
"You will want to find out more about the original mother's medical history." Healer Miles suggested.
"Okay, I can do that." Hermione said as Ron just watched her.
"Healer Miles, this baby it is just as much Hermione's as it is the others, right?" Ron asked.
"Yes. The DNA of all three parents will mix together." She responded.
"Healer Miles, you can't tell anyone about this. They are not going to understand." Hermione said.
"I don't understand." Ron said.
"Of course I won't. I'm a physician, and you are my patient. I won't tell anyone." She said.
Hermione and Ron watched each other the entire time she spoke. "Thank you, Healer Miles."
"You're welcome. I will give you two a chance to talk." She said as she left the room.
Ron and Hermione stared at each other for sometime before he spoke, "You're pregnant."
"With who know whose child." Hermione finished. "Ron, what am I going to do?" Tears started to stream down her face.
Ron crawled on the bed and sitting against the headboard, hugged Hermione to him. "We'll figure it out. I'm not abandoning you."
"How do we explain that it's not mine, but it is?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe we shouldn't." Ron said.
"You mean we tell them I'm pregnant, but nothing about other parents? They'll assume you are the father." Hermione asked.
"Yeah. I'd rather that, then they assume other things about you." Ron said.
"What about Harry?" Hermione asked.
"I don't like lying to him." Ron said.
"Me neither." Hermione said.
"He's gonna need to take an oath not to tell. Not even Ginny." Ron agreed.
"You think we're ready to do this?" Hermione asked.
"I'm sure we'll have loads of help. Mum, Dad, Severus and Anna might be upset with us at first, but it's a baby. Just look at how much they love Patrick and Teddy. It will be another grandchild to spoil." Ron said.
"And we do have six months to get ready." Hermione said and Ron nodded in agreement. "When do you want to tell them?"
"As soon as possible. The quicker we get it over with the more time they have to get use to it." Ron said.
"I hate the idea of facing your mum."
They sat sometime in companionable silence until Hermione spoke. "Ron, I'm scared."
"I'm scared too. You'll be a good mum." He admitted as well squeezing her hand.
"You're pregnant?" Severus asked standing in the doorway of the ward with Ron's father at his side.
TBC