Hey all! Thanks sooooooo much for all of your reviews I smiled and giggled with each one I read. My passion for this story has returned with a vengence, I can't stop thinking about it lol. I'm really liking the ending to this chapter and yes I'm sorry it's another evil ending but still it just means than an even greater chapter awaits :D This is possibly the longest chapter I have ever written, I just couldn't stop myself, I knew how it was going to end but getting there...well my imagination ran away with it I think lol. So please Enjoy xxx
Disclaimer: Do you think JKR would leave Harry Potter to me in her will? No? Damn :(
The Unexpected Baby
Chapter Thirteen: Unwanted Drama
"He asked you out on a date?" Ginny asked in a tone which suggested that she wasn't as surprised as she should have been. Hermione took note of this and tried not to show any emotion. She knew Ginny was thinking about her 'Hermione loves Charlie' theory and so if she showed any more emotion than what was necessary she'd only feed Ginny's flame.
"Yes a date," the Healer stated firmly as she forked a piece of lettuce. It was her lunch hour but the day had already been so hectic in the hospital that she didn't really feel like eating. Ginny had just finished her 28 week check-up with the Mid-Healer and was waiting for Harry to stop talking to someone he knew from work.
"And you said yes?" Ginny asked coyly. She could tell Hermione was hiding her emotions from her. She knew the distracted Healer was holding back a blush. When was this woman ever going to own up to her feelings?
"Of course I said yes!" Hermione exclaimed, "He's the father of my baby and my flat mate if I said no to him I'd have to see him all the time."
"What do you think brought this on?"
Hermione paused for a moment, a piece of chicken suspended between her closed mouth and the plate. After moments of silence she looked Ginny in the eye and muttered, "Ron."
"Ron? Why would Ron bring this up? I thought he was mad at you?" Ginny sounded puzzled as she rubbed her swollen belly and glanced back at Harry to see if he was almost finished talking to his friend.
"Somehow he was brought up in conversation last night and after about 10 minutes of us not talking he suddenly brings up this date malarkey." Realisation dawned on Ginny's face and then she grimaced slightly.
"So you think the only reason he's asked you out on a date is because Ron was mentioned in conversation and he feels threatened by the long term relationship you two once had?" Hermione blinked at the other pregnant witch in surprise. That was exactly the reason she thought Charlie had asked her out. Being honest with herself it made her feel rather upset that that was the only possible reason for him asking such a question. If that was the case she'd have preferred it if he'd asked nothing at all.
"Exactly," she mumbled sullenly. Ginny didn't know what to say but it was clear to her Hermione was upset about it which just proved to her even more that Hermione more than just 'liked' her older brother.
"Well I don't know what to tell you other than you have to come over to my house tonight to pick out something to wear as I'm guessing that all of your going out gear will be too small for you now." Hermione looked down at her 'podgy' stomach and gasped slightly. Ginny was right, she hadn't had the need for going out clothes since she found out she was pregnant so now her other stuff was going to be too tight for her. She didn't let herself worry too much though, it wasn't entirely her fault that she had nothing to wear as Charlie had sprung this on her rather suddenly.
"I'll be there at 5."
"You asked her out on a date?" George asked as Charlie hoisted himself up on to the counter. The joke shop wasn't too busy yet so he had no problem in his brother doing what he pleased.
"Nice," echoed Fred's voice from the stockroom.
"Why?" asked George as he watched a man who was wandering aimlessly around the shop and had been doing so for the past 15 minutes.
"The book said it would be a good idea," Charlie informed them as he fiddled with an interesting magic puzzle that had been sitting on the counter.
"The book said?"
"Mate have you been drinking cleaning potion again?" Fred called. Charlie looked up from the puzzle to find George snickering to himself. Charlie glared at him and then continued to fiddle with the puzzle.
"That was one time! You two tricked me," he exclaimed, "what I meant was that I got this book called 'Dad and Baby' and it said that when the mother turns 13 weeks pregnant she's into her second trimester which is apparently the easiest stage of the pregnancy. It then gave a tip for the dads saying that to celebrate entering into this time a nice date would be sufficient," he explained while his eyes remained glued to the puzzle in his hands.
"I suppose when you put it that way," George began.
"It doesn't sound like a bad idea," Fred finished.
"Where're you taking her?" they then asked in unison. Sometimes Charlie's brothers could really freak him out.
"I was thinking about taking her to 'The Hogwarts View' in Hogsmeade. Bumped into an old friend a couple of weeks ago and he recommended it. This old friend also happens to own the place," Fred, who had just emerged from the stock room and was now standing beside his twin brother, and George raised their eyebrows in interest and looked at their older brother.
"Yeah sounds good, heard it was a fancy place though."
"You need to get some new clothes mate," Fred said to his older brother just as he finished the magical puzzle and was blasted in the face with black powder. Charlie blinked in surprise and then glared at the Weasley twin brothers.
"You could have warned me about this you know," he growled as he wiped his face with his jacket sleeve. The twins laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
"What kind of pranksters would we have been if we had warned you about it?" George asked as Fred mussed Charlie's flaming red hair. Charlie grumbled something unintelligible in their direction causing them to laugh in unison once again.
"No but seriously you need some new clothes," Fred said in a serious tone which he hardly ever used. George nodded his head in agreement and looked around the store to make sure there was no one there. The weird man who had wandered about for 15 minutes and had bought nothing had now disappeared so George ran over to the door, locked it and put up the 'closed' sign.
"What are you doing?" Charlie questioned as George came back over to the counter with a wicked grin on his face. Fred glanced at his twin and rubbed his hands together in excitement.
"We're going to take you shopping!"
"What time do you have to meet him at?" Hermione barely heard Ginny's voice as she looked at herself in the full length mirror. Since she'd arrived at the Potter house she had been forced to try on almost every single one of Ginny's pregnancy friendly going out clothes.
"The letter said I had to meet him there at 7 o'clock," Hermione called after a moment of silent observation. This out fit was just no good. She really didn't feel like wearing a trouser suit. Why did Ginny have a trouser suit anyway?
"Let me see that letter!" Ginny yelled as she entered the room.
"Merlin Gin, no need to shout," Hermione said calmly as her best friend sat herself on the edge of the bed and grabbed the letter which was lying open.
"Yes there is. I'm pissed off at Harry so the more I shout the more inclined he will be to apologise to me."
"What has he to apologise for now?"
"He forgot to buy me watermelon when he went out food shopping today," Ginny growled as she ruffled the letter in her hands. Hermione choked back a laugh, she didn't want Ginny to think that she was laughing at her. Ginny went on to read the letter which Hermione had received just after 3 o'clock that very day.
Hermione,
Fred and George have taken me hostage. They have insisted that they take me out clothes shopping so I don't think I'll be able to take you to the restaurant from the flat. Merlin I'm exhausted already and they've only taken me to two shops. I've managed to sneak away to write this, could be the only peace I get until they have me 'suited and booted' as the muggles say. I'll meet you at 'The Hogwarts View' in Hogsmeade at 7 o'clock. The table is under my name. Oh Merlin here they come, I'll see you at 7…hopefully.
Charlie x
"You didn't tell me he was taking you to 'The Hogwarts View'!" Ginny exclaimed as she threw the letter onto the bed. Hermione, who was now pulling herself into a fluttery dress, turned her head to look at the pregnant Quidditch star.
"I didn't know until I got the letter. I wonder how he managed to get us a table at such short notice?" she mumbled more to herself than to Ginny. Ginny's brow furrowed and she thought about it.
"I don't know, maybe he just got lucky and he got a table which had been cancelled," Ginny said as she twirled a finger in her ponytail.
"That's possible. No this isn't right either," Hermione groaned as she pulled the dress off and threw it to the floor.
"I hope you're going to tidy that up," Ginny growled heatedly as she glared at the heaped pile of clothes on the bedroom floor. Hermione looked at the pile, then looked at Ginny, grabbed her wand, flicked it and the pile of clothes started to organise itself back onto its proper hangers.
"What do you think I am? A lazy mess? You knew I was going to put it all away again." Ginny muttered an apology and watched as Hermione took out another dress. 'The Hogwarts View' restaurant was a fancy place with a strict dress code. Ordinary clothes weren't allowed under any circumstance so the dress Hermione had picked out now would suit the place well…if she liked it.
"Hmm," the Healer mused as she studied herself in the mirror. Ginny crossed her fingers, this dress was one of her favourites and if Hermione said no to it then she had no hope of her finding something before 7. The dress was what the lady had told her in the shop, a mesh wrap contrast bodycon, whatever that meant. The main body of the dress was white and over the top of this white was a black mesh which wrapped around the top half of the body and then wrapped diagonally around the bottom leaving a diagonal piece of the white body visible. A white band separated the top and the bottom completing the look. Naturally it was a size larger than Ginny had originally bought as she was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time.
"I like it…a lot," Hermione muttered to her reflection in the mirror as she continued to turn this way and that, studying herself.
"Brilliant, that's the one you're wearing then. Come on now its getting on and we still need to do your hair."
By the time Ginny had finished with her Hermione was wearing the black and white dress along with a small, black cardigan to cover her shoulders and a pair of Ginny's black, satin high heels which had a 'diamond' decorating above the toe of the shoe. Hermione was thankful that she and Ginny had the same size of feet because she didn't particularly want to run back to the flat to get a pair of her own.
"You better enjoy those shoes now, in a few weeks you won't be able to wear them," Ginny said with a smirk as Hermione stood in front of their fireplace.
"I know," Hermione said with a chuckle as she felt Ginny play with her hair again. She had arranged it into a very stylish messy bun at the back of her head, with little bits curling down to decorate her face.
"Are you sure you don't want Harry to go with you?" Ginny asked as she handed Hermione her bag.
"No, all I want him to do is go to the flat and feed the cats. I'll be fine," Hermione told the worrying witch as she took a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fire. Before she dropped the powder and stated her destination she winked at Ginny making her giggle.
"Can I help you miss?"
"Yes I'm looking for the Weasley table for two," Hermione said politely as she was greeted by the wizard at the front of house. She'd just entered into 'The Hogwarts View' and already she knew it was a high class place to be. Above her was a brilliant chandelier and below her was a very lush red carpet.
"Ah Mr. Weasley is already waiting for you madam, please follow me," The wizard said to her in a very posh accent. Hermione followed the man into a very large, open room which was decorated like a palace. There were many tables and soft elegant music was being played by a string quartet on a medium sized stage. The man took her over to the large window and as Hermione turned her head towards the place she would be sitting she stopped and blushed deeply.
"Good evening," said Charlie in a charming, smooth tenor. Hermione couldn't help but stare at him. He was dressed in a very expensive looking muggle suit. It was the deepest of blacks and looked as if it had been tailored to fit his body perfectly. His shirt was a crisp, clean white and his tie was a deep scarlet, which surprisingly didn't clash with his hair. Speaking of his hair it looked newly cut and was styled in a perfect, slightly messy fashion. It swept to the left but there was no visible parting. Hermione's mouth went dry as he took her hand and lead her to her seat which had been pulled out for her by the other wizard.
"Good evening," she said weakly as she sat down and was gently pushed in to the table by Charlie. He chuckled softly and sat down in his own chair.
"Can I offer you our wine list sir?" the wizard, who was obviously going to be the waiter, asked smoothly.
"No thank you but we will have two of your finest glasses of pumpkin juice," Charlie asked eliciting a frown from the waiter. Hermione, whose first blush had just started to recede, blushed again thus bringing the colour back to her cheeks in earnest.
"I'm sorry sir but we don't have pumpkin juice," the waiter informed him rather curtly.
"That is a shame. I thought this certain restaurant would have catered to the needs of a pregnant woman. Hermione I think we should leave," Charlie said strongly and then winked to Hermione who was now gaping at him in a very un-lady like manner. Charlie rose slightly from his seat and ushered Hermione to do the same thing and as she did so the waiter broke his silence.
"I am so sorry sir I did not realise that your companion was with child. I will do everything in my power to get anything that you desire. Two glasses of pumpkin juice will be with you momentarily." As soon as the waiter darted off Charlie laughed heartily and sat back down in the chair.
"What just happened?" Hermione asked, placing her hands to her glowing cheeks. Again Charlie winked at her.
"You just have to know how to handle these people and besides I know the guy that owns this place. We were really close when we went to Hogwarts together. Speaking of which, how do you like our view?" Hermione turned her head to the left and gasped. From where they were sitting she had the most perfect view of the Hogwarts Castle. In the quickly fading light the castle was lit up brilliantly. As it was the second week of September the students had all arrived back to the castle and nearly every light must have been burning. Her heart swelled with longing, what she wouldn't have given to be roaming those halls right at that very moment.
"It's perfect," she whispered as she reminisced about the Library, her most favourite place in Hogwarts other than the Gryffindor common room.
"I thought you'd like it." Hermione looked at Charlie who was looking at her. She smiled genuinely at him, even though it had been short notice he really had tried very hard to make this date perfect.
"Thank you Charlie, this really is wonderful," she told him softly as two glasses of pumpkin juice were set down in front of them and two menus handed out.
"Order anything you like it's on the house," Charlie informed the hungry Healer as she snatched a menu and wrenched it open. Her head popped over the top of the menu, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"It's free? How…" she started but then remembered that Charlie knew the man who owned the place.
"He's very kind," she whispered as she dove back into the menu which held all of the delicious food choices in it.
"He owes me one, actually he owes me about half a million but still yeah I'm glad he agreed to this. You know the waiting list to get into this place is something along the lines of 6 months."
"Are you being serious? That's unbelievable." Hermione carefully set down her menu and looked about again. The restaurant was buzzing with life and the rich smell of food was lingering in the air from the tables surrounding them. Her stomach rumbled so she went back to looking at her menu.
"What will you be having?" Charlie asked as he pondered over his own choice.
"I was thinking about having a steak but then I remembered that I can't have it the way I like it. For me to eat steak now it needs to be cremated." Charlie laughed and looked at the steak selection. It was a brilliant choice and the biggest steak that could be ordered was about one quarter of the size of their table.
"Oh I know, I'll have the fresh salmon, dressed in the restaurants own made dressing. Sounds delicious," Hermione said, although she was talking more to herself than to Charlie.
"Nice choice, oh and it's an expensive one too, brilliant! I'm going to have the king crab dish, another expensive one but I've heard it's tasty," Charlie said eagerly as he rubbed his hands together in excitement. Hermione giggled and looked at the starters.
"Do you want a starter?" she asked, feeling her stomach gurgle hungrily. Charlie simply looked at her for a couple of moments and then glanced down at the menu.
"Are you thinking about getting the soup?" he asked knowingly. Since he'd moved in with Hermione he had realised that she was something of a soup fiend.
"Yes! Come on potato and leek, it's a classic and I bet it will be the best one I've ever tasted knowing this place." Charlie couldn't help but laugh again, tonight was most certainly going to be an experience.
"I've eaten to much that I think I may have forced the baby down a few notches," Hermione said blissfully as she finished off her desert of Baked Alaska. Charlie grinned, too full and tired to laugh out loud. His king crab dish had been so huge that Hermione was sure he wasn't going to eat it all, but because it was free he was adamant that he would eat every last bite of it and so he did.
"Would sir and madam like a cup of tea or coffee?" asked their waiter who had been nothing but polite to them since he found out Hermione was pregnant.
"I'll have a cup of coffee if you don't mind," Charlie said as he looked at Hermione. Hermione pondered for a second, she had had a cup of tea at her parent's house so she didn't think she should have another for a long time so she simply asked the waiter for a glass of warm milk which was just as good as any.
"Possibly the best view I've ever seen," Hermione muttered softly as she turned to look out of the window again. Her foot bumped lightly into Charlie's leg under the table and something inside of her jumped at the contact. Keeping her eyes focused on the castle she tried hard not to blush.
"I agree. I miss the old place you know." Hermione chanced a quick glance at Charlie and found that he too was looking out of the window at Hogwarts. He seemed relaxed and was clearly thinking about the times he'd spent their.
"What do you miss the most?" she found herself asking. Charlie sighed gently and then looked back at her. For a few minutes he was silent, obviously thinking hard about it and after he'd though he broke the silence.
"The Library," he answered quietly, bowing his head to look at the table. Hermione stared at him, hardly able to believe her ears, she'd have honestly thought he would have said something like the Quidditch pitch or the Gryffindor common room but his actual answer shocked her into a stunned silence.
"Usually I tell everyone it's the Quidditch pitch or walking around the lake on a warm summer day but really I miss the Library. The smell of the books and the silence were what I liked the most. I studied there while my friends all goofed around in the common room which is probably why I got better grades than them. But you know sometimes I would have just gone there to be by myself, being surrounded by the books was like my own personal hideout. I would have sat by the window…" Charlie explained but before he could finish Hermione interrupted him.
"Sat by the window behind the History of Magic section and just watched the world go by," she whispered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Charlie stared at her as his coffee and her glass of milk were put down on the table.
"How'd you know?" he asked as the warmed his hands on his cup. Hermione gave him a look which basically said 'are you an idiot or what?'
"Because that's what I miss most about Hogwarts. I lived in that library as I'm sure you are well aware of." Charlie nodded his head, took a sip of the warm liquid and let her continue.
"I never thought you would have said that. I mean it's exactly what I would have said, almost word for word. I had no idea anyone else thought of the Library in that way."
Charlie smiled as he watched the witch take a long sip from her glass and sigh contentedly. He knew she wouldn't reject his love of the Library as she shared that exact same love. They sat and sipped their drinks and chatted merrily about Hogwarts and their memories of it, Hermione's being more adventurous than Charlie's and Charlie's being a bit more boisterous than Hermione's and by the time they had finished their drinks they were laughing merrily, totally forgetting about their lethargy which had been brought on by the vast amount of rich, delectable food.
"Come on we need to get you home now," Charlie laughed as he got up from his seat to help Hermione out of her own.
"I agree, a more comfortable setting is in order. I can hear my sofa calling to me," Hermione said with a titter. Charlie helped her put on her cardigan and then they both started to walk towards the entrance to where the fireplace was. As they walked they passed many couples and groups who were still having as great time. Many were sipping on wine and many more were still eating their food and as they got closer to the door they heard a sudden squeal. Immediately Hermione went into Healing Consultant mode, expecting to see someone lying on the floor choking or at the worst having a heart attack but when she turned round she wasn't met with that sort of drama but drama that was set on a whole different plain altogether.
"Oh yes Ron I will marry you!" squeaked Lavender Brown as Ron slid the ring onto her finger. As the blonde launched herself into Ron's arms and the crowd around them applauded and the string quartet played a romantic tune Hermione felt her mouth say something before her brain had time to stop it.
"Ron?" The Weasley brother in question turned, spotted Hermione and Charlie, looked them both up and down and then glared.
"What are you doing here?" he spat. Hermione immediately felt her blood boil.
A/N: So what did you all think? I'm so happy about that ending I really am. It's like a soap opera it really is. In fact I think I heard the ending bars of EastEnders as I wrote the last sentence. Anyone who knows what that is will laugh and anyone who doesn't...please look it up it's rather fun :D so please REVIEW and tell me what you though ;)