December 12th 1999 PT2

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, breaking the nervous silence that hung over the bathroom in in Grimmauld Place and Hermione hummed in response, "it's been 10 minutes, love."

Picking her head up, she stared at Ginny with wide eyes. Oh how she wished she could avoid this but now that the idea was in her head, she had to know. She groaned and dropped her head into her hands before lifting it up and reaching for the nearest test with shaking hands. Gripping it between her fingers, she slowly turned it over so that she could see the results and promptly threw herself towards the toilet, vomiting up what seemed to be her stomach lining.

Ginny watched with wide eyes and as Hermione hunched over the toilet, she slowly turned over every single test and glanced around at them, shocked. Every single test, all of these little white sticks were very obviously positive, and she had no idea what to say to Hermione.

"Uh… Hermione?" She asked uncertainly when her friend had quieted and stopped throwing up, "Hermione?"

Hermione turned around from the toilet and looked around at the floor, littered with white sticks showing two lines. They were either pink or blue lines, but that was the only difference. She looked at Ginny who stared back, each with the same wide eyes expression and Hermione gulped.

"Shit." Hermione groaned and Ginny snorted, moving to put an arm around her shoulders. "Gin... do the spell, please."

Ginny nodded and pulled out her wand, ready to do the spell. She faltered as she pointed it at her friends stomach, but Hermione closed her eyes and nodded, so she flicked it, saying the correct incantation and waited for the little numbers to appear above the tip of her wand. Thirty seconds later, they showed up brightly.

6/0

"What does that mean?" Hermione frowned, looking at the letters and turning to face Ginny.

"First number is weeks, second is days," Ginny shrugged, "Hermione… my wedding was exactly 6 weeks ago today."

"Yup."

"You're 6 weeks pregnant."

"Yup."

"With Charlie's baby."

"Yup."

"Fucking hell."

"Yup."

Hermione pulled her knees to her chest and dropped her forehead onto them, taking deep breaths and thinking about what the hell she was supposed to do now. She knew one thing for certain; she would be keeping this baby. She was absolutely pro-choice but she knew herself to be incapable of getting rid of a child. So that was that option struck from the list. She had two options. Tell Charlie and hope for the best or don't tell Charlie and… Hope for the best.

"You need to tell Charlie." Ginny muttered and Hermione snorted, lifting her legs and stretching her legs out in front of her.

"How the hell do I do that Gin?" She asked sadly, shaking her head, "'oh hey Charlie, you know Ginny's wedding when we both got horrifically drunk and you had sex with me to help me forget about being dumped? Well because of that one act, both of our lives are going to change forever!' Yeah I can't see that going down too well."

"Well," Ginny laughed, "I probably wouldn't put it quite like that, but he needs to know. And you know it."

"I know," Hermione groaned, "and it's going to have to be in a letter, too."

xxxxxxxxxx

Dear Charlie,I hope everything is going well at the reserve and the dragons aren't giving you a hard time. Things here have been… surprising.Listen Charlie, I know we said that we would just forget about the night of Ginny's wedding when we, well, you know… But I'm having a bit of an issue with that. I hate having to tell you this in a letter but I have no idea when I'm going to see you again.I'm pregnant. With your baby.I'm so sorry, Charlie. I will understand if you don't want to involve yourself in our child's life, but I just wanted you to know so that you could make that decision for yourself. I am keeping it, as I've never been one who felt able to terminate a child. God, I hate that this has happened but I have to admit that I'm growing used to the idea. Perhaps you could too? Although again, if not, then I understand completely.We all miss you here.You know where to find me if or when you want to talk.Love, Hermione.

xxxxxxxxxx

She held the letter between her hands after dating the top corner and duplicating it, just in case, hoping that he would take this news… Well, just not badly was her greatest hope. She knew that it would come as a huge shock to him but perhaps he would surprise her and be the best father on the face of the earth. Stranger things have happened, after all. She handed the parchment to Ginny who snorted and nodded after reading it.

"Well, I suppose there isn't a good way to tell someone they're going to be a father in a letter, but it could be worse." Ginny shrugged, handing the letter back.

"I'm going for the honest approach, rather than the one that says I've tried to write this letter 20 times and this is the best I've got." Hermione told her and Ginny chuckled.

"See, that would be honest." She laughed and Hermione snorted.

"Yes, well there is such a thing as too honest." She muttered.

"When are you going to send it?" Ginny asked and she shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know, Gin," she sighed, "Before the new year, whenever I work up the guts."

"It's going to be ok, you know?" Ginny asked and Hermione nodded, smiling.

"I really am getting used to the idea, you know?" She asked and Ginny smiled at her, "but if Charlie wants nothing to do with it, I'm not going to tell anyone else he's the father… Your parents will still be gran and gramps, so it's not like they'll miss out on anything, and you'll all be auntie or uncle whoever, but if Charlie doesn't want to be involved then this baby will be mine and mine alone… Can you keep this a secret if you have to Gin?"

"I guess," Ginny shrugged, frowning, "I mean I wouldn't be over the moon with it, but it would be your decision at the end of the day."

"Thank you, Ginny."