Summary: All actions have consequences. Hermione and Sirius are about to find out. (Hermione/Sirius)

Not Alone

Hermione hadn't been a good sleeper for the longest time. She'd become accustomed to living on four or five hours of broken sleep. When she was truly tired, her body would catch up, and she'd relish those nights, feeling like a new person. Sometimes, her best sleep was sharing a bed with Sirius; it was an understanding they had, as friends, if they were having a particularly bad night.

Recently, however, Hermione had been sleeping extremely well. She was going to bed exhausted, actually looking forward to crawling into bed, and having at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. So when she heard Sirius scream out from his own room down the hall, Hermione groaned at having to go to him. She was comfy and had just drifted off.

But she was not one to let friends down when they needed her.

Stumbling out of bed, keeping a hand on the wall to guide her, Hermione made her way down the hallway, nearly falling into Sirius' bedroom when she reached his door. He never closed it; a hangover from his Azkaban days.

Peering into his dark room, she found him still asleep, muttering loudly, his arms thrashing a little bit. Moving quickly, Hermione got under the blankets, gently taking hold one of his wrists. 'Sirius,' she whispered.

He woke, taking a sharp breath as he did. 'I didn't wake the others, did I?' he asked in a whisper, his throat sounding dry. She watched him, she could just about make out his eyes drifting close again.

'No, you're fine.' She felt his pulse racing against her fingertips that were wrapped around his wrist. 'Turn over,' she instructed.

Sirius obeyed the command, getting on to his side with his back to her, already pulling her hand with him as he did. 'I dreamt I was alone,' he mumbled.

'You're not alone, Sirius,' she whispered. She saw his head move in a lazy nod.

Hermione settled in, nestling her head against his upper back as she felt his breathing even out. It wasn't long until she fell asleep with him.

It wasn't dark anymore when she woke up again, but it wasn't light either. The room had a blue tone to it, the sun not quite up. Hermione sat up quickly, frowning, a hand already covering her mouth. The arm Sirius had flopped over her waist slipped down to her lap, the movement waking him up.

'Whassup?' he mumbled, the words coming out as one.

'Nothing,' she said quietly, getting out of bed. 'Go back to sleep.' He already was by the time she reached the door.

Once in the hallway, Hermione ran to the bathroom, not even bothering to lock the door as she did her best to make it to the toilet to throw up. The waves of nausea didn't stop once she'd emptied her stomach either. She knew that salmon hadn't smelt right before Harry had cooked it.

Her stomach now empty, but with the nausea remaining firmly where it was, Hermione didn't trust herself to leave the bathroom. What if her stomach found something else to rid itself of. No, she was safer on the bathroom floor, relishing the feel of the cold white tiles on the back of her hot neck.

At some point, as she counted the cracks in the bathroom ceiling, Hermione had drifted off.

'Love, come on. Up you get,' Sirius said gently. She woke up to him lifting her off the floor. 'Harry's salmon not agree with you?' he asked, carrying her to her room.

She didn't even have the energy to lift her head from his shoulder. 'I'm going to kill him,' she croaked, her throat feeling a little tender. Sirius' laugh vibrated through her. 'Send an owl to work, will you?'

By the time the afternoon had rolled around, Hermione felt human enough to have a shower and sip on a cup of tea. The idea of food, on the other hand, made her stomach roll. Harry offered to make dinner for her, which was met with threats of violence if he brought any of his food near her again. Instead, she sent another owl to work to say she wouldn't be in the next day, to be safe, and went to bed early.

The problem was, when Hermione woke up again, a little after three in the morning, racing to the bathroom to throw up nothing, she knew deep down this was not Harry's salmon doing this to her. And when Sirius arrived moments later, as she flopped back onto the floor, staring at her with fear in his eyes, it was no good attempting to lie to herself.

Taking a deep breath, Sirius took a seat on the floor, leaning against the bathtub. He pulled Hermione to a sitting position, shuffling her so she was sat by him. 'Is this—'

'Nope. Absolutely not!' she said quickly. 'It can't be.' So, she was going to attempt to lie to herself.

Sirius put an arm around her shoulders, kissing the side of her head as he did. 'I'm sorry, Hermione.'

She leant into his body, shaking her head. 'That's nothing to forgive.'

'We'll go to the hospital in the morning,' he said quietly.

And after a few more hours of broken sleep, largely spent in the bathroom, with Sirius staying nearby, Hermione went to St Mungo's with him.

How had they been so stupid?

It was all she could think as she sat on the bed, having been poked and prodded with the Healer's wand before they disappeared, and hadn't reappeared in the last fifteen minutes. Sirius sat on the bed with her, fidgeting constantly, and asking ridiculous questions, such as, 'Would you say the yellow on the wall is a mustard colour?'

'Sirius,' she snapped.

He put his focus on her, finally keeping still. 'I can hold your hand if you're scared.'

Without saying a word, Hermione blindly put her shaking hand into his. He gave her a kiss on the back of it before holding it tightly with both of his. The feel of it was actually calming; his rough palms made her concentrate on the feel of them against her skin.

Finally, the Healer reappeared, with a clipboard and quill hovering behind her, furiously scribbling notes, and she took in the couple sat on the bed. Hermione felt herself tighten her grip on Sirius' hand. 'Am I?'

'You are,' she said.

Hermione automatically slapped at Sirius' arm with her free hand at the way his hands were now crushing hers. 'Get off,' she snapped, yanking her hand away.

'There are options,' the Healer started quietly.

'NO!' Hermione and Sirius shouted together.

The quill on the clipboard drew a big line across the parchment attached to the clipboard before returning itself to where it had been. The Healer gave them a small smile.

Hermione and Sirius finally looked at each other, the first time since he'd found her on the bathroom floor for a second night. 'No?' he asked.

She shook her head. 'No,' she confirmed, putting a hand to her flat stomach. 'I can't.'

Sirius pulled her into a tight hug. 'Honestly, I'm so relieved that you can't.'

'Really?' Her voice went high as relief flooded her, too. The Healer quietly left them as they pulled apart, Sirius holding on to Hermione's upper arms. 'We'll be okay, won't we?'

Sirius gently wiped a stray tear from her cheek. 'Of course we will. In fact …' He jumped off the bed, immediately kneeling in front of her. 'Hermione, will you marry me?'

'No,' she said, alarmed, a nervous laugh escaping her.

That appeared to be the right answer as Sirius clapped his hands to his chest, letting out a heavy laugh of his own. 'Good. I'm not really the marrying type,' he admitted, standing up. 'But you're not alone. I'm here.'

'It is outstanding that the one time we lose our senses and this happens,' Hermione mused.

'I'm just that good,' Sirius said with a grin.

'Don't gloat,' she reprimanded, annoyed at herself for laughing with him.

She stared down at her flat stomach, pulling her red, baggy t-shirt back. Nothing. 'How are we meant to raise a baby when we're still figuring out what we need?'

'Maybe she's what we needed?' Sirius pulled Hermione off the bed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. 'It might not be what we had planned, but it wasn't like we were attempting to fix what was broken either.' He leant his chin on the top of her head when she rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

'She?' Hermione asked.

'Yes. We can't handle another me in the world.'

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (challenges & assignments) Prompts

Spring Funfair

- Leap Frog - (Plot Point) Someone has a nightmare

- Cocktail Bar - Manhattan - Angostura - (Plot Point) Pregnancy

- Dog Show - Daschund (Hermione Granger) - Intro - (word) Honestly

- Milkshake Bar - Flavour 5. Hermione Granger

- Levi-Kart (Hermione) - Amortentia - 1. A member of the same House

- Rainbow - Purple 10. Quill

- Tree Planting - Dogwood - (word) Outstanding

- Teddy Bear Picnic - Sausage Rolls - (genre) Friendship

- Petting Zoo - Rabbits - (plot point) Pregnancy

- Bunny Races (Hermione) - 1,450 words

Spring Seasonal

- Days of the Year & Religious Events - 8th June - Write a fic in the Friendship genre

- Aquarium Month - 7. Thermometer - Write about someone that is sick/unwell

- Crayon Day - 35. Salmon

- Spring Colours - 6. White

- Spring Flowers - 6. 'I can hold your hand if you're scared.'

April Writing Club

- Record Collection - 2. Write about a proposal

- Written in the Stars - 8. (colour) Mustard

- Book Club - Janine - (colour) Red, (plot point) Pregnancy, (word) gloat

- Showtime - (word) Forgive

- Elizabeth's Empire - 6. (action) Embracing

- Scamander's Case - 24. (emotion) Fear

- Marvel Appreciation - 6. (colour) blue

- TV Spree - 11. (colour) Red

- The Forecast Says... 26th 'Nope. Absolutely not!'

- EnTitled - 22. (setting) Hospital

Spring Quarterly

- 5. Maui - (setting) Hospital

Yearly

- Scavenger Hunt - 19. Write a fic in the genre Friendship

- 365 Days - 323. (plot point) Pregnancy

- Fantastic Beasts - 58. Encantado - (scenario) a night stand resulting in pregnancy

Word Count: 1,450