A/N: Have your wine ready!

TWENTY-EIGHT

Wednesday; 25 November 2020; twenty-four weeks

The morning after their date, they were both bummed out by the fact that they couldn't afford to laze about in bed all day. Ginny was due to arrive over shortly after breakfast which meant there was a lot of time for her to shower and get ready for the day. It didn't, however, stop them from showering together before she departed to her room for her clothes.

She had been putting the last of the dishes from breakfast on the little stand to dry while James had pressed himself against her back and wrapped his arms around her, his hands falling on either side of her stomach. Their son kicked happily; always seeming to know the difference between James' touch and hers. But it was just as he brought one hand up, pulling her hair off of one shoulder, his lips pressing against her throat that they sprang apart at the sound of the door being opened.

It was a surprise when they heard Ginny and Harry's voice as they let themselves in and joined them in the kitchen. Harry had informed them he'd come over to help set things up in the nursery. That he was Hermione's best friend and he should be helping more. So as she and Ginny left, the last thing she saw was the two of them in the nursery. She silently wished James the best of luck, knowing it was hard for him. As Ginny drove away, she sent a message to Sirius, asking him to go and rescue James as early as possible.

For the better part of the day, the two women shopped for not only baby clothing, getting things in all sizes, not just newborn, but they got a few things for Thanksgiving too. Ginny had shopped for most it beforehand, but they picked up what remained. It was when she was being dropped off at home later that afternoon that Ginny had the brilliant idea for Hermione to come stay over on Wednesday night. Her reason being that she was going to have to come over early on Thursday to help; she might as well just stay the night and not have to worry about it. With no reason to decline, she simply nodded and told her she would be there.

When Wednesday rolled around, Hermione told Ginny she would be over after dinner, saying it gave her time to go home after work, relax, and make sure she didn't forget something when she packed her overnight bag. And it was while she was packing said bag that James crossed the threshold into her room, distracting her from her task at hand.

"I don't want to go either," she said when she finally was able to extract herself from his arms to resume packing.

"Then don't. Tell her you'd rather stay in your own bed."

She snorted as she looked from the bed beneath her bag to him. "I don't even remember the last time I slept in here."

He rolled his eyes despite the smirk on his face. "You know what I meant."

She offered a small smile and then returned to her closet to select the outfit she had planned to wear for the holiday. He helped her pack up and walked her down to her car when everything was ready. And still, they lingered by the driver's side door, completely wrapped up in one another's embrace. Neither of them wanting to be the first to let go of the other.

"I'll be there in the morning," he assured her.

She sighed against his chest and nodded as best she could. "I know. It's just… It's technically our first holiday together and we can't even be together," she whispered. "Not the way we want to be, anyway."

His arms tightened around her, but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to remind her that there was a way to deal with that; that they could come clean to everyone. But the risks still remained and she could tell by his attitude that he was just as hesitant about disclosing their relationship to everyone as she was.

"We'll get through it," he said after awhile, his lips brushing against her temple before he pulled away and helped her into her car and waited in the driveway until she was out of sight.

Thursday, 26 November 2020; twenty-four weeks

The day started off fine, if not a bit earlier than Hermione would have liked. She and Ginny had prepped as much as they could the night before and Harry had washed the dishes before they all parted for bed. But as the morning wore on, Ginny became increasingly less fine and more of an absolute mess. Hermione felt bad, knowing that she wasn't much help and that Harry came to pick up her slack, but seemed to only make it worse.

But as the guests started to arrive and more hands began to help in the kitchen, Ginny calmed down. Still, there was something about the ordeal that struck Hermione as odd considering Ginny was never one to succumb to the stress over something like this. Whatever was going on with her friend, she seemed keen on keeping it to herself. Hermione was just glad that once the afternoon came about, Ginny went right back to being pleasant.

When there was nothing left to do but wait for the turkey to come out and get caught up on dishes, Harry handed Hermione a glass of water and sent her into the family room where Sirius, James, and Ron were watching the football game. They were using the new surround sound and projector screen that Harry couldn't get enough of. Hannah had stayed in the kitchen to help Ginny and Harry with the last few things so that Hermione could get off her feet. And when Sirius saw her enter the room, he casually slid closer to the corner of the couch, leaving her room to sit between him and James.

Ron nodded at her from the loveseat across the way. "Your parents coming?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "They went upstate after all." It wasn't a surprise; they had done that nearly every year since Hermione was younger. There were years where she had convinced them to let her stay at Harry's house so she could spend the holiday with them, but there weren't many where they had caved. "They said to say hello."

Ron laughed quietly as he sipped at his beer. "I'm sure they didn't, but thanks all the same."

She smiled and then turned to look at Sirius before daring a glance at James. "Tonks and Remus?"

"Visiting her side of the family," Sirius answered, an amused glint in his eye.

She hummed in response and sipped at her water, her eyes moving towards the screen. She could feel James at her side; as though half of her was standing near the mouth of a volcano and she was burning alive. But just as she felt herself about to cave and look at him, the front door opened and Percy walked in with his wife, Penelope. Starting a new round of distracting conversation; one that they both welcomed with open arms.

The rest of the afternoon went about the same. She could tell wherever James was in a room without having to have him anywhere in her line of sight. Every time she did catch a glimpse of him, it made it harder to remind herself what the risks would be. Especially when all she wanted to do was be near him; to show him affection as well as have him show it to her. It was extremely hard not to think about when they sat to eat and he ended up across the table from her.

Her only reprieve came after dinner was eaten. The men cleaned up, sending the women into the family room so they could relax and catch up by themselves. It was a little later, right before Ron started asking about dessert that Fred, George, and their significant others came in. With nearly a full house, it was easier to lose herself in conversation. And of all the in-laws she had, she missed Fred and George the most. They spent a bit of time fawning over what they dubbed their nephew no matter if they shared blood or not.

It was after dessert that everything changed.

Ginny stood in front of the screen as Harry turned the projector off and then joined her. Everyone's attention focused on them and the chit chat of everyone in the room died down to nothing as they waited. "We have an announcement," Ginny said, her eyes turning glassy as they flickered over everyone's faces. "I wish everyone could have been here for this, but oh well. I'll tell them later."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat and she placed a hand on her stomach as the baby kicked hard when it did. It was as though time were slowing down and things began to click into place before Ginny's lips moved again to deliver her news.

Ginny looked back at Harry over her shoulder, the two of them smiling like love-struck fools for a moment before they both blurted, "We're pregnant!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Ginny's four present siblings were shouting and rushing forward to hug their sister as well as congratulate Harry. While they occupied the couple's time for a bit, Hermione tried to get her breathing under control. When it felt like the ground had been ripped out from beneath her, she sat on the arm of the loveseat where she had been standing and swallowed hard.

Sirius gave her a look from his spot at her side, asking if she was alright. She simply nodded and hoped that the hand she waved at him was enough reassurance that she was. Whether it was true or not was a whole other story. Yet she sat there, watching as James stepped forward to congratulate them as well.

"I hope you're ready to be a grandpa," she heard Ginny laugh as they embraced.

It made Hermione shudder.

It was also that moment that Harry took notice of her. He smiled as he cut through the crowd of Weasley's, stopping only when he was at her side. She forced herself to her feet and wrapped her arms around him when he pulled her close. "Can you believe it, Mione? Now our kids can be best friends like we were. They'll grow up together too and who knows. Maybe I'll have a girl and they can-"

She tore herself away at that, the suddenness preventing him from finishing that sentence. "I have to-"

"You okay?" he asked when she tried to push past him in desperate need of a place to catch a solid breath.

"Fine," she said, forcing a laugh. "Happy for you, really," she insisted. "Just when I get excited, the baby kicks my bladder and…" she shrugged. "Congratulations, Harry. Really. I'll be right back," she said, her words rushed as she slipped out of the living room and into the guest room she had slept in the night before.

She paced the length of the room, trying to get a grip on her emotions so she didn't lose herself to the panic that was trying to swallow her whole. But she was only alone for a minute, maybe two before the door opened and James stole inside. Her protests fell on deaf ears as he pulled her to him and held her as tight as he dared.

"He said he hopes he has a girl," Hermione whispered, her voice on the verge of breaking with each word. "So that way they can…" she swallowed hard and shook her head, burrowing her head into his chest. "This is- James…"

"It'll be okay."

She yanked herself away from him, staring back at him with wild eyes. "Your grandchild will be the same age as your son, James!" she rasped. "None of this is okay."

He reached up to rub the scuff at his chin and nodded. "You're right. This is bloody strange, but it is what it is." He strode forward, his hands cupping her face to tilt it up so she had to look at him. "We will get through this just like we have been with everything else."

"How?" she sobbed, her hands coming up to his sides as she gripped the material of his shirt. "We've barely been managing so far, James. I don't… I can't…"

His thumbs stroked her cheeks, brushing away tears of panic as he leaned and laid his lips over hers. "I don't know, Hermione. We'll figure it out together, but I need you to not panic. Can you take a deep breath for me?" He watched as she inhaled a shallow, shaky breath and let it out just as unsteadily. "Good," he murmured. "That's good."

She wasn't sure who moved first or if they had moved at the same time, but a moment later, their lips were melding together. She kissed him as though he was the air she needed to breathe. All of their mixed emotions fueled every brush of their tongues; every tug of their lips. And the need for his touch; the need that had been building all day from not being able to not even look at him the way she wanted gave way as his hands slid down her sides and curled around her waist.

But just as her panic began to ebb, it was brought back tenfold when the sound of the door opening had them springing apart. A cry escaped her lips as she caught sight of Harry staring at them with disbelief in his eyes. He looked back and forth between the two of them, unsure of what to say. Hermione stood there, one arm over her chest, her other hand covering her lips as tears streamed down her face. Her entire body trembling as she waited for his outburst.

"Please tell me this is some kind of nightmare," he said after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Harry-" she sobbed, her eyes jumping up to his.

"Is that why you decided to stop looking for a place to live?" Harry cut in, the look in his eyes cutting her like a knife in her heart.

She shook her head vigorously and took a step forward, stopping when he took one away from her. "Harry, it's not… This isn't-"

"What it looked like?" he snapped. "Then what is it?"

"Harry-" James started, warning in his tone.

"She's half your age!" Harry interrupted. "You've known her since she was in Kindergarten! With me!" Harry's eyes widened and he took a step back, his spine straightening. "Just how long has this been going on?"

"It was never like that," James said, his voice gruff. "It's recent."

There was still disbelief in his eyes, but Hermione's shoulders sagged as she saw a hint of relief there too. "How recent?"

Hermione and James glanced at one another before she turned back to Harry and whispered, "Since my divorce."

She knew that by saying that, Harry would be able to piece everything together for himself. She stood there and watched as realization dawned on him; saw it the moment it clicked. His eyes dropped to her stomach where they rested for some time before dragging up to hers. "It's…yours?" he asked, his gaze sliding over to James.

James nodded, but as his lips parted to say something, Harry was crossing the room until his fist collided with James' face. It took a moment for Hermione to realize the shout she had heard was her own as she rushed to James' side where he fell backwards, catching himself on one hand on the edge of the bed. His other hand went to his face and when he pulled away, there was blood everywhere. Harry moved back, shaking out his hand and cursing under his breath as he left the room.

Hermione followed him, unsure of what to say, but knowing that she needed to make it right. But she had forgotten about the rest of the people in the house until she rounded into the family room only to find herself confronted by all of them.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, looking from Harry to Hermione.

"Turns out I'm not just going to be a father. I'm going to be a big brother too," he snapped, not bothering to stop as he shouldered his way through everyone on the way to the kitchen.

It was silent enough in the room that Hermione could hear the tick of the clock on the wall as the seconds passed. Sirius went to move towards her, but stopped short. Everyone's gaze shifted to over her shoulder and she didn't need to turn to know that the presence at her back was James. Ginny was torn between watching everything and going after Harry, but she ultimately chose the latter.

She wasn't surprised when Ron stepped forward to break the silence first. "Is that true?"

Her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth. All she could do was nod and flinch when she saw his telltale signs of his temper flare.

His eyes flickered back over her to James and she could see the disgust rising in the depths of his gaze. "Is this why you left me? For someone twice your age? For someone who's been like a father to you all your life?"

"Ron…" she whispered, shaking her head. "That's not it. It's not like that. I-"

He recoiled just as Harry had done a few moments ago, but where Harry's stare had been full of hurt and betrayal, there was nothing but rage in Ron's. "You should go. I'm sure Harry would agree you're not welcome here anymore." He paused to look at James again. "Either of you."

"That's not your call to make," James said, his fingers curling around Hermione's wrist to tug her back behind him. "This is my son's house; not yours."

Ron took a step forward, but as his lips parted to speak again, Sirius was there between the two of them. James let go of her wrist and she took another step back, stumbling a bit when she collided with a chair. Her nails dug into the arm of it as her other arm came up to rest low on her belly. She wasn't sure if she hadn't noticed it before with all the commotion or if it had only just begun, but there was definitely cramping. A sensation that only intensified now that her attention had been brought to it.

Distantly, she could hear raised voices and that each time someone spoke, the situation had escalated. But try as she might, she couldn't actually hear the words, instead, she tried to focus on her breathing and getting the pain to stop. When it did nothing but worsen, she called for James. She called several times, but it took someone else shouting her name to break up the fight.

It was when James turned around, his eyes wide with panic as he took in the sight of her, that Hermione lost it. He ignored everything else as he strode towards her only to pick up her as though she weighed nothing. As he carried her towards the door, she caught sight of Ron wiping blood from his nose and Sirius shaking out his hand as Harry had done after punching James. But instead of going to the kitchen, he followed them out. He took James' keys and hopped into the front seat as James crawled into the back with her in his lap and a moment later, they were on their way to the hospital.

A/N: Come on over and join my FB group: madrose_writing if you wanna yell at me until you get the rest of Thanksgiving on Tuesday, lol. Love you all!