Chapter 1: Well-fed
He turned on the bed expecting to wrap his arms around his lovely wife but he found empty air instead. As if jerked awake by the unexpected loss, his eyes snapped open and blinked to adjust in the dark. He frowned when he saw her side of the bed completely empty, the blanket folded in such a way that made it clear someone had just thrown it aside.
He groped for his glasses on the nightstand and put it on. He checked again and found that indeed, Hermione was gone.
Immediately, Harry was up and on his feet. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little past two in the morning. He saw Hermione's nightstand too, and her wand was still on top of it.
He tried to calm his beating heart even as he grabbed his own wand and put it in the pocket of his pyjama trousers. He padded towards the door of their bedroom and grabbed a robe to put over his topless half. His heart thudded louder in his chest when he saw that her robe was still hanging on the hook.
Where was Hermione?
Was she okay?
Was the baby okay?
Why would she have gone without her wand?
Had she been taken?
With that thought, Harry grabbed the door handle and threw it open. There had been an attempt at an abduction before when some psychotic wizard obsessed with Hermione had tried to make her his. But that was foiled when the would-be abductee decked her abductor with a mean right-hand hook to the face. The wizard was sent to St. Mungo's with a bleeding and broken nose completely unconscious and petrified after Hermione had cast her Petrificus Totalus on him. Still, the incident shook Harry to the core and it was one of the reasons he finally proposed. It made him realize that he really could not live without her in his life.
So Hermione being gone in the middle of the night frightened him. And she was pregnant now, too, so his worry was amplified. His quick footsteps led him downstairs and he gripped his wand when he glimpsed the light shining from the kitchen.
He strode into the kitchen faster than his feet would allow without breaking off into a run. He found his wife was standing in front of the opened refrigerator door wearing nothing but the small nightgown she went to bed with and a frown on her face. Her arms were crossed above the small bump of her stomach as she looked inside the refrigerator disapprovingly.
Harry immediately shrugged off the robe he was wearing and closed the distance between them. He stood behind Hermione and draped the robe over her. He hugged her waist from behind and bent down to lay his chin on her shoulder.
"What are you doing up so late?" He asked in a whisper.
He saw her mouth twitch into a deeper frown.
"We don't have food," she said, as if stating the obvious. "And I'm really hungry."
Over her shoulder, Harry peeked into the refrigerator and saw that it was stocked full of food. In fact, he had just gone to the supermarket the past weekend to buy fruits and vegetables (as suggested by their maternity healer) and all sorts of sweets and other odd snacks (as suggested by their male friends, who also gave him some bit of advice that he was in for a "wild ride").
"Well," Harry said slowly, trying to wrack his sleepy brain into saying the correct thing instead of angering his wife. "What did you want to eat?"
"I wanted some tea," she answered.
"... so why are you looking into the refrigerator?"
Her frown deepened into a scowl. "Because I wanted something to eat with it but we don't have anything!"
Harry turned Hermione around and tucked her underneath his arms. He gently kicked the refrigerator closed with his leg. He simply held her to his chest and felt the pout on her lips disappearing after every breath. "Why don't I make you some tea now and you can think about what you want to eat with it?" Harry suggested gently.
Hermione nodded and perched herself atop a high stool by the kitchen island. Harry turned to the pantry and started making the promised tea - Earl Grey, as it was her favourite - while stealing glances at his wife. He could see her lips were pursed in thought and not in frustration this time so he visibly relaxed.
The pot of tea was ready in no time and he set it in front of her. She didn't pour herself a cup immediately, but instead gave him a shy smile.
Harry grinned and laid a hand on her knee. "What did you want, love?" He asked, thinking that he could pop into the twenty-four hour supermarket in the city and pop right back home and (hopefully) into bed.
"Rock cakes," she whispered.
He could see his plan going down the drain. He raised an eyebrow and clarified, "Rock cakes? As in… Hagrid's rock cakes?"
Her smile turned sheepish as she nodded her head. "I was just thinking that they were actually quite good, after they've been softened a bit. They'd be perfect to eat with tea!" She exclaimed. At his look of incredulity, she faltered. "But I could probably just eat something else…"
He shook his head. This was… this was his duty, as a loving husband and an expectant father. Besides, he loved his wife. He would die for her, would do anything for her, even this.
Harry used the summoning spell to get a shirt, a jacket, and his shoes. He wasn't going to show up at the half giant's door in only his trousers. Hermione was looking at him excitedly, lovingly, and appreciatively as she watched him dress. When he was fully clothed, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Sit tight," he whispered. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
With a pop, he disapparated.
He had to apparate to Hogwarts' gates since apparition and floo were still banned within the castle boundaries. Thankfully, the enchantments of the school recognized him immediately and the very large and very grand wrought iron gate opened just a little bit to let him through.
The castle grounds were empty. It was the middle of the night but also the middle of summer. Students weren't in the castle yet and Harry wished with all his might that Hagrid was home.
He walked through the silent castle grounds with only his wand providing light through a Lumos. From on top of the hill, he saw Hagrid's hut by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The windows were dark but there was smoke coming from the chimney.
As he walked down the stone steps to the hut, Harry allowed himself to think. Hermione's pregnancy was definitely unexpected, to say the least. They both knew they wanted children - had even talked about names for either gender! - but they certainly weren't planning to have one so soon. They were only in their mid-twenties; he, a Quidditch player, and she, a healer; so they were in no rush to have kids because they have all the time in the world.
But she, no, they were expecting.
And he couldn't be more excited and happy for the arrival of their baby. Already he loved this child so much and his love for Hermione had transformed into something so much more when he found out she was carrying his child.
Merlin, he was going to be a father!
And while he's excited and happy, Harry was also incredibly scared.
He reached Hagrid's hut and his knocking drew barks from Fang inside the cottage. A minute later, a very disgruntled and annoyed and sleepy Hagrid opened the door brandishing his umbrella, though his annoyance decreased slightly when he saw that it was Harry.
The half-giant was sympathetic after learning of Harry's plight. Hagrid exclaimed that he had just baked some rock cakes that afternoon and that Harry was more than welcome to take some home with him.
Armed with rock cakes in a jar the size of an urn, Harry trekked his way back to Hogwarts' entrance. The gates didn't have time to fully close behind him before he disappeared from sight.
Three quarters of an hour later, Harry was back in bed with Hermione in his arms. She was sleeping already having finished her incredibly late snack of tea and cakes. Her breathing was calm and it was what calmed his own mind as he imagined how he would be like as a father.
His last thought before he drifted into slumber was that he could do anything, even become a dad, with Hermione by his side.