Chapter 25

I sat on the edge of the bath, head in my hands. No, this couldn't happen! Ron and I had been careful, using contraceptive spells, for Merlin's sake!

What was I going to do? This was what I was afraid of. Memories of the previous June flooded back to me…God, what would I do if I lost this one? I shook my head in despair and let a few tears roll down my cheeks. I wouldn't get rid of it, the very thought made my stomach churn. And anyway, their were risks with abortion, I knew that much. And Ron…he'd never forgive me. I felt glad that I'd put Rose down for a nap, as I didn't think I'd be able to get up. I knew that time was ticking by, and that Ron would be Apparating home from work soon. I looked at the test again. It still had a plus on it. But, then again, Muggle pregnancy tests weren't one hundred percent correct. Then, with a jolt, I remembered that I'd also taken a potion Pregnancy test, which was also positive.

I'd been experiencing morning sickness for quite a few weeks now, and cravings. It hadn't occurred to me that I could be pregnant until Ginny mentioned it. An idea struck me. I could go and see Ginny. She'd know what to do, wouldn't she? Even if she didn't, I needed to talk to someone. I pushed myself off the edge of the bath and threw the pregnancy test in the nearby bin. I went to Rose's room and picked her up gently. She stirred feebly in my arms, before settling again. I just stared at her for a minute, astounded at how beautiful she was. For a minute, I actually wished that there would be another little version of her, running around the house. Then I remembered everything that had happened, and went downstairs to floo to Ginny's.

"WHAT?" Ginny all but yelled. I didn't look at her. "You're what?"

"Pregnant. Again."

"Well, that's wonderful, I'm really happy for you and Ron, Congrat-" She caught the look on my face. "You look upset, Hermione."

"Ginny, I'm not sure if I, well, we want another one."

"Well, why not? What's wrong with babies?" I had to blush at her fierce gaze.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! It's just, you know…"

"Hermione, we're in February now. The whole thing with the scan, Hermione, that was last June! You need to get over it!" I glared at her.

"I am over it, Ginny, I'm just not sure if I want another one actually!" Although, I knew that I did. I sighed. "I just don't want to lose another one, Ginny." Ginny just nodded with understanding.

"It'll be OK, it won't happen."

"I don't even know how I got pregnant!"

"Oh Hermione, I would of thought that someone as smart as you would know how sex works-" Ginny said, smiling.

"I know how it happens, I just…Ron and I have been using spells since we were in Paris, and we haven't stopped that yet-" Then I stopped, because Ginny's eyes were wide in realisation. It hit me too.

"New Years Eve." We both said in unison. I cursed myself silently for being so stupid, I mean, seriously!

"You didn't use contraception on New Years Eve, did you?" Ginny asked. She was half amused, half shocked.

"No, it was just a "Spur of the moment" type of thing." Rose yawned in my arms. "Oh God, what am I going to do?"

"Well, it's obvious; Tell Ron, and have the baby in eight months time, or however long it is until your due date." Ginny said, shrugging like it was no big deal. Maybe not for her, but she hasn't lived the soap opera that it my life. No, it wasn't that bad.

"What's Ron going to say, he probably was too drunk to remember what he was doing!" I told her. Ginny just shrugged again.

"He'll be overjoyed, maybe even shocked. Just tell him gently, though."

I did exactly as Ginny advised. I decided to leave Rose at Molly's for the night, as I didn't really want to have to tend to her when I told Ron. However, when I apparated to The Burrow, Molly just looked at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry dear, but I promised Percy and Audrey that I'd look after the girls, you know, it's Audrey's Birthday." I just smiled and did my best not to be aggravated.

"It's OK, Molly, it's just that I needed to tell Ron something, but it won't matter if Rose is there." And I apparated home before Molly could start realising what I wanted to tell Ron.

I started to make Ron a nice dinner and got changed into the red dress that Ron had brought for our Anniversary, while Rose played downstairs, trying to learn how to walk. The red dress was starting to feel tight. I just shook my head. I was just imagining it. I was only a month along. I was just imagining it. Although, I knew that before too long, it really would be too small…

"Hermione! I'm home! Hermione?" I heard Ron call. Taking a deep breath, I went downstairs. "Mmm, what's that smell?" His eyes went wide when he saw me. "God, I didn't forget something…did I?" He looked worried. I smiled. Typical Ron behaviour. I just shook my head nervously.

"No, what's wrong with a woman wanting to give her husband a nice meal?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous. To avoid Ron's eyes, I picked Rose up, as she almost fell on the floor after an attempt to walk around. Rose shouldn't really have been trying to walk, although I did feel a little proud of her determination to walk around like all of her cousins.

"Well, why are you wearing the dress I bought for our Anniversary dinner?"

"Because Red is a nice colour, it reminds me of you and Rose's hair." I set Rose back on the floor again. "Dinner will be done in a minute, so you can sit down." It wasn't really a suggestion, but Ron did it anyway, looking slightly confused, and anxious. I didn't see why he was anxious, I was the one that had to tell my partner that I had somehow got pregnant!

All through dinner, Ron and I didn't say a word to each other, except for the odd "This is really nice, Hermione" or "Thank you, Ron". By the time we'd eaten, I was regretting making such a large dinner. I wondered if I was going to be sick again. I forced myself to look at Ron.

"OK Ron, there's something that I need to tell you," I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "Ron, I'm-"

I was cut of by Rose wailing in the Living Room. Ron stood up.

"It's OK, I'll go and get her." I nodded, thanking Rose for the momentary distraction. I had to tell Ron, no matter what.

Ron came back into the room, carrying a giggling Rose in his arms.

"I think she fell over, trying to walk." Ron told me, sitting back down and keeping Rose in his lap. "Sorry, you were saying Hermione?" I took another deep breath.

"Ron, I found out today that I'm-" This time I was cut off by the banging on the Front door. Letting out an annoyed sound, I stood up to see who was ruining my evening. Mrs Gren. Of course.

"That blasted baby of yours is keeping me up every night." Mrs Gren said. "I would of come earlier, but then I had to visit my mother in the hospital." I faked a little bit of concern to get her to go away.

"Oh, that's really bad! Is your mum alright?"

"She's fine," Mrs Gren sniffed. "But, like I said, that horrible little beast of yours is keeping me and my cat awake!" I snapped into protective mother mode.

"My daughter is not a beast," I told her hotly. "She's an infant, a young child, who of course is going to cry." Nobody insulted my baby like that!

"I don't care, she's keeping us all awake at night. You're lucky I don't complain."

"And you're bloody lucky that Ron and I don't complain about you." At her astounded look, I added, "You muttering around and spying at people over fences."

"Just keep your little monster quiet, or I'll come round in the middle of the night and seal her lips together." I whipped out my wand so fast that I didn't even register what I was doing.

"You horrible old bitch!" I growled. "Get out of my house before I do something that I don't want to do." And she left! Just like that. Not a single mutter to be heard! I shut the front door and headed back to the Dining Room. Third time lucky, hopefully.

"Sorry about that." I said to Ron. He just nodded and smiled. He'd heard everything that had gone on outside.

"It's alright, what do you want to tell me?" I took yet another deep breath.

"Ron, what I've been trying to say is-" There was a tap on the window. I let out a frustrated noise. It was a tawny coloured owl. I opened the window and took the note. I read:

Hermione,

It's only me, Ginny. You'll never guess what I've just found out! Can we meet during your lunch break, you know, at The Three Broomsticks? Owl me back, OK?

Have you told Ron yet? If you haven't, send Pig over later and tell me! If you have, well, still send me Pig later on!

Ginny

I couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh. I sent her a message with the Tawny coloured owl, saying:

Ginny,

Yes, I'll see you at half twelve in The Three Broomsticks tomorrow. No, haven't told Ron yet. I'll send Pig over.

Hermione

I sat back down as soon as I'd sent the Tawny coloured owl back.

"Ron, I'm going to just be brief, I'm-" George cut across me, by apparating into our house. I almost screamed. What do you know, George finds it normal to pop in with no notice at half past seven in the evening. I glared at him.

"What? Can't I come to my little brother's house without being glared at by his wife like I'm being annoying?" George actually had the nerve to grin. "I wanted to see Ron-"

"I'm not trying any of your products, George." Ron told him. "Don't you have a family you can get back to?"

"Oh, Fine then, not even an offer of some tea then." And he apparated away again. I almost yelled in annoyance.

"Merlin, Hermione, how many distractions have we had this eve-?"

"Ron, I'm pregnant." I cut across before something else could happen. Ron went white. Not a good sign. His mouth opened in shock. He then dropped his gaze to Rose, and didn't look at me for a minute. I'm surprised he didn't faint.

"Hermione," He said finally. "You just said to me that you're pregnant." I nodded.

"I did." Ron looked up at me. I decided to take Rose into my arms. At least then I had something to hold.

"How?" He asked. I glared at him, and he quickly back tracked. "I mean, I know how, but…we've been using contraceptive spells." I just sighed.

"Ron, do you remember New Years Eve?" He nodded.

"Yeah, we all got drunk." I nodded this time.

"And, do you remember anything else?" Ron frowned in deep thought, and then shook his head. "Ron, we were both very drunk, and what happened was…" I just broke off, not knowing what to say. "We sort of, you know, shagged upstairs. No one noticed, but then again, they were all pretty drunk as well. And, I think that we were, you know," I blushed violently, something that would of made a Weasley proud. "Just…so caught up in a sort of world of pleasure, that we forgot to apply the spells. It was just, well, like any other night, just without the charms." Ron looked shocked. He was a little red, but nothing compared to me. That was something new. "I've only just found out this morning, and only Ginny and I know." I willed him to say something in my mind. He kept silent. Then he just sighed and slumped a little. I felt tears swim in my eyes.

"Oh Merlin." He said. He brought his hands to his head and just sat there like that.

"Please don't be mad Ron." I said, sounding upset. I stood up and went upstairs with Rose. I couldn't face Ron anymore.

I decided to just bring Rose to our room instead. She didn't look very tired, and I didn't have the will to put her down forcefully. I laid her down on me and Ron's bed. She started crawling around the duvet, giggling and smiling at me. I gave her a weak smile of my own and sat on the bed next to her little crawling space.

"Oh, Rose, what am I going to do?" I asked, letting a few tears dribble down my cheeks. She looked up at me, confused at why I was upset. It was like she was saying; Don't be sad, mummy, you've got me here, right? in her own little way. She crawled down to me and grabbed one of my fingers.

"Mama," She babbled. I smiled weakly at her, before picking her up and holding her to me.

"I'm here Rose, I'm here."

By the time Ron came upstairs to go to bed, Rose was asleep in her cot soundly, and I was lying awake in my pyjama's staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Ron didn't look at me, and got into his "bed clothes", as he put it; T-shirt and boxers. He climbed into bed without a word, and didn't face me. I turned away from him too, and faced the wall. Everything swam before me, and only then did I realise that I was crying. I let a few sobs out of my mouth before I felt Ron sit up and touch my arm gently. I pulled away from it.

"Hermione," He said. His voice sounded weak. "can we talk?"

"Why?" I shot at him. "I've obviously done something wrong, because you're ignoring me."

"Hermione, you haven't done anything wrong." He sounded close to tears himself. "I'm just…shocked." I sat up suddenly and glared at him. He'd obviously been running his hands through his hair, as it was all tousled and messy, like Harry's.

"Shocked?" I said icily. "Shocked? Ron, I told you that I was pregnant, and what do you do? You sit there, not breathing a word, your head in your hands!"

"Well, you just sprung it on me, that's all."

"Don't worry Ron, if you don't want another kid, just say so, and I'll go to St Mungo's and have it removed. Pretend it never happened." The look on Ron's face was enough to break my heart and scar me for life. I don't think he ever looked so heartbroken, so damn upset. Ron let out a noise like a choked Hippogriff. "Well, you obviously don't want another kid, Ron."

"I do." He said. His eyes were overflowing with tears, and his chest was heaving with the sobs he was trying to keep back. "I do, I really do."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. Some father you are." I snapped. I regretted them words the moment I said them, but I knew I couldn't take them back. Ron was crying so much that he had enough tears to make the River Thames flood all over Britain. He was no longer keeping the sobs held back. The sobs seemed to echo around the room.

"You're right." He croaked. My heart almost stopped it broke so much. "If you want, you can go to St Mungo's and get rid of it. I'll go and spend the night at Harry and Ginny's or something." I decided that I wasn't angry at him anymore. Suddenly, he was my husband again. And I'd done something so terrible I was starting to hate myself.

"Ron, I-I didn't mean that." I told him, kneeling in front of him. "Ron, I swear to you that I didn't mean a thing I just said." Ron continued to sob. I felt helpless. Every time I tried to hug him, he just pushed me away. Every time I went to wipe a tear off his nose, he moved further away from me. This hurt, and I deserved it. I deserved every second of the pain I was experiencing.

After a few minutes of my fruitless attempts, Ron slipped off the bed and out of the bedroom door. I heard him apparate out of the house. My throat closed up, and I started to sob all over again. That was how I stayed for half the night, until I couldn't cry anymore, and I let sleep overcome me.

Aww, I'm sad again now.

By the way, the bit where Hermione went to go and see if Molly would look after Rose, well, Molly was going to, but then I realised (thanks to a really nice reviewer who pointed that out- I'M NOT BEING SARCASTIC, BY THE WAY) that there wasn't enough Rose in there, and the story is about Babies (I.E: Look at the title), so I'm adding more baby content.

Agian, nothing too Harsh please! Read and Review!

Chapter 26 up soon (Wow, we're almost at 30)

Oh, and another note: I've started writing companion pieces to Baby. The first two chapters from Ron's POV are up, and I might work on a Harry and Ginny version! Read if you get really bored of waiting for me to update!