Hello all thanks once again for returning and mega thanks for the brilliant replies! Sorry this one is a little late, it took me a while to finish it. I don't think it's my best chapter but at least we get to see how the cliffhanger ends. I hope you all enjoy it xxx

Disclaimer: Can I own Harry Potter please? No? Thought so :(

The Unexpected Baby

Chapter Fourteen: Ruined

"Hermione look!" exclaimed Lavender as she bounded towards the Healer with her left arm extended. Hermione barely noticed the sparkling ring on the blonde's finger as she and Ron glared at each other.

"Beautiful," Hermione mumbled. Lavender made an excited noise and then rounded on Charlie and shoved her hand into his face.

"Congratulations," Hermione said strongly, not afraid of the people who were watching them.

"Thank you," Ron answered in an equally strong tone. His glare was icy and his face was set in an ugly expression. Hermione felt herself grinding her teeth in agitation. Why did she congratulate him? He hadn't congratulated her on the baby.

"You didn't answer my question." Blinking in surprise Hermione tried to remember what he'd asked her. Something in her memory whispered to her, 'What are you doing here,' and then she remembered that before she had calmed herself down in the staring contest she'd been angry at Ron for asking such a stupid question.

"Charlie and I are on a date," she told him sternly. Ron glanced at his older brother who was now examining the ring on Lavender's finger while she gushed about how pretty it was and how big the wedding was going to be.

"A date…don't you think it's a bit late for that?" Ron said venomously. Hermione felt her jaw drop and her eyes sting but she wasn't going to cry. She wouldn't let him make her cry, she'd shed too many tears because of that wizard. Before Hermione could retort back Charlie stepped in.

"A bit late? A bit late for what?" he asked, clearly having only caught the tail end of Ron's sentence. Hermione furrowed her brow in annoyance but really was glad he'd stepped in to stop her from saying something she might later have regretted.

"You're doing things out of order. First you take her on a date and then knock her up, not the other way around!" Ron spat furiously. Hermione felt the Dragon Keeper tense up beside her. She looked around; people at the tables closest to them were whispering hurriedly to one another and then looking back at the commotion.

"Charlie can we go?" she whispered to him as he put and arm protectively over her shoulder. She hadn't minded the other people staring at them but the whispering was putting her on edge.

"Yeah Charlie take her home I can't stand the sight of her anymore." Ron's words were filled with so much hatred that Hermione couldn't help but let her eyes fill up with angry tears.

"Watch who you're talking to little brother," Charlie said his voice the most threatening Hermione had ever heard. She glanced up at his face to see the most serious expression she had ever seen. He meant business. The Healer then looked back to Ron and seen him falter in his stride ever so slightly.

"We're out tonight together to have a nice, relaxing, enjoyable time and we were having that until you started acting like a right royal prat. Don't get me wrong I'm happy for you and Lavender but as soon as you started being nasty and hateful towards Hermione, one of your best friends, I'm afraid the fun ended. So now we are going to leave, highly disappointed that our night was so abruptly ruined," as Charlie said this Hermione took a peek at the waiter who had served them and noticed that he had turned a rather gruesome shade of red. Charlie really did know how to handle people in restaurants; Ron was going to get it when they left.

"And I hope you enjoy the rest of your meal and don't choke on that over inflated ego of yours." Hermione felt a rumble of laughter form in her chest but held it back. If she laughed at what Charlie had said now its effect would be spoiled. She felt his arm that was still around her shoulder gently steer her towards the entrance hall of the restaurant. When they reached the fireplace in the entrance hall Hermione felt something being placed around her shoulders.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered as she tugged Charlie's blazer closer to her body. It smelled wonderful, like expensive cologne and cinnamon body wash. The warmth radiating from it comforted her but couldn't quite expunge the last 5 minutes from her mind. She grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. As she shouted out her destination Charlie smiled at her and waved gently.

She arrived in the flat with a bump and as she stepped out of her compact fireplace the sound of meowing reached her. As usual Shadow was the first to appear and he ran up to her so fast he failed to stop in time and ran straight into her legs.

"Silly kitty," she chuckled as she continued to hold Charlie's blazer close to her. Wandering into her room she set the blazer down and just as she went to use her ensuit bathroom she heard Charlie arrive.

"Hello Shadow. Hermione I'm back," he called from the living area. Hermione called back to him, telling him that she'd be out in a couple of moments. Charlie grabbed Shadow and flopped down onto the sofa.

"Just be glad you're a cat, cats don't have to deal with as much drama as we humans do," he muttered to the kitten that was nuzzling under his chin. He tickled Shadow for a couple of minutes until he heard the footsteps coming down the corridor. He glanced to his right just as Hermione entered. Once again he had to stop himself from gasping. Even though it was obvious she'd shed a small tear in the bathroom and had swiftly wiped away the evidence she looked absolutely breathtaking. The dress suited her perfectly, hugging her close and not drawing too much attention to her ample chest. Her hair had been let loose and now hung about her shoulders elegantly.

"How're you feeling?" he asked as the obviously exhausted Hermione sat down beside him. For a moment she was silent as she ran her fingers through her hair. Oh Merlin how she wanted a drink right now to settle herself. After complicated and stressful situations like the one that had occurred in the restaurant she always had one glass of something to steady herself. She rubbed her stomach subconsciously.

"Like I need a good stiff drink," she sighed, looking at Charlie who was scratching Shadow behind the ears. The Dragon Keeper smiled softly and placed his free hand on her knee lightly.

"Too bad, you can't have one and I won't let you have one, not even a sniff of one," he told her in a mock stern tone. Hermione laughed gently and swatted his hand away from her knee playfully.

"I know. It's just I'm used to having one after night's like tonight. I'll just have to settle for a pumpkin juice with extra ice."

"Sure thing, I'll go and get you one." Charlie passed Shadow over to Hermione, got up from the sofa and disappeared into the kitchen. Hermione hugged the black kitten closely. Even though she loved the cats she had dearly, it was also times like this that she missed Crookshanks. That cat had been something else altogether. He'd known, actually known how much Ron had hurt her. Even before the break up Crookshanks had felt the atmosphere in the old flat and had started acting strangely around him. Hermione had confided in the cat how depressed she had been after the break up and every time she talked to him, he sat and listened and let her cuddle him tightly. One occasion he had also licked away her tears. She suddenly heard the clinking of ice cubes and realised that Charlie had returned with her drink.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she took the glass and sipped the liquid. The pair sat in silence for a long time before someone finally decided to speak.

"Can't believe those two are getting married," Charlie murmured in a way which implied that he was very mildly surprised. Hermione let a chuckle escape from her lips and looked at the floor.

"Yeah," was all she could say.

"Do you think he hates me?" Charlie asked inaudibly, in fact he had asked it so quietly that Hermione had to strain to hear him. She furrowed her brow and took her gaze off the carpeted floor.

"What makes you think that?"

"He's never looked at me like that before," he whispered, clearly hurt by the way Ron had spoken to him. Hermione felt her heart swell for Charlie's pain and before she realised it she'd placed her hand on his. He grabbed it gently and then squeezed her fingers.

"He doesn't hate you. He can't hate you, you're his big brother. If he hates anyone it's me." Hermione knew what she was saying was true. Ron could never hate any of his brothers, he wasn't like that at all. However when it came to Hermione she knew just how long Ron could hold a grudge for.

"He can't hate you," Charlie said as he gripped her hand. Hermione's gaze found the floor again and a small smile graced her lips.

"Of course he can. I think Ron finds it a bit too easy to hate me. Instead of trying to understand the situation and accept what's going on he's turned to his foolproof method of hating me. It happened all the time during Hogwarts so I'm used to it, although I still can't believe he'd rather act like a petulant child than come and talk to me about what's going on." She grabbed a lock of her hair and started twirling it in her fingers absentmindedly. She'd honestly lost count of how many times she and Ron had had a fall out. Usually he would forget about it in a matter of weeks but this time was different. She heard a sigh escape from her lips again. How many times had she done that today?

"Well that's Ron all over," Charlie mumbled with a little chuckle as he put his free arm around Hermione's shoulder's and pulled her into a one armed hug. Hermione nuzzled her face into Charlie's shoulder, she was glad he was here to comfort her in her time of need.

"Ron will always be Ron. Maybe he'll accept the idea of me having a baby when I actually have it," she mused as she lightly rubbed her forehead on Charlie's shirt. It was so soft; the feeling of it relaxed her and made her forget about how much she wanted an alcoholic beverage. Looking up from the shirt her eyes caught Charlie's and they stared at each other for a moment. Hermione felt a smile grace her lips and as she admired his eyes an image flashed before her eyes.

"Huh?" she mumbled as she blinked hard. The image was of Charlie and herself sitting on the sofa in the Burrow. They had been hugging and when they broke apart they'd stared at each other just as they were doing now. Empty wine glasses were on the table along with an empty wine bottle. After staring at each other for over three minutes they started to move nearer to each other, their lips growing ever closer.

"What?" Charlie asked concern etched into his features. Hermione shook her head just as the image of the pair of them kissed. She could feel the ghost of the kiss on her lips. She backed away from Charlie and rubbed her eyes. It had been a memory from the night they'd slept together. Glancing at him her face grew hot. He certainly was handsome. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him and instead got up. Something was happening in her stomach, and she didn't think it was just digestion.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered as she turned on her heels and darted toward the bathroom. The door slammed and a couple of seconds later Charlie heard Hermione throwing back up the lovely meal they'd had. It hadn't agreed with her obviously. He grinned inwardly and got up. He summoned a glass of ice cold water and headed straight for the bathroom where he was sure Hermione was still being sick.

"So after all that you threw it back up again?" Audrey asked as she, Hermione and Ginny walked outside into the back garden of the Potter residence. Fleur was already out with Victoire who was playing happily in a pile of early autumn leaves.

"Yeah it just didn't sit right with me. I though the sickness part was over but obviously not," the pregnant Healer grumbled as they all took a seat around a wooden garden table. Hermione had just gotten off work and had promised Ginny that she would come over to tell her all about the date. 5 minutes after she'd arrived Audrey and Fleur had landed in after a fulfilling day of shopping.

"It will pass soon," Fleur said elegantly as she too sat down at the table. She was looking extraordinarily stunning today. Hermione restrained herself from frowning. Ever since she became pregnant she was finding it hard to look her best almost ever day of the week.

"Did you 'ear about Ron and Lavender?" she asked suddenly as Ginny summoned up a few cold drinks. Hermione felt her stomach plummet out of the bottom of her feet. She hadn't wanted to talk about meeting Ron and Lavender in the restaurant so she'd never mentioned it to the other ladies. She followed Ginny and Audrey and shook her head.

"What this time?" Ginny asked sarcastically as she sipped her drink. Audrey chuckled lightly and then coughed to try and hide it. Fleur smirked and glanced at Hermione for a fraction of a second.

"There will be wedding bells for them," she said, her French accent making her sentence sound mysterious and dramatic all at the same time.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed almost dropping her glass. Audrey's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. Hermione on the other hand stared at the table and made a shocked gasp.

"Eet is true. Zey came over to our 'ouse last night and told us everything." At the end of her sentence she blatantly stared at Hermione, a beautiful smirk on her face and Victoire bouncing lightly on her knee.

"Did you leave out a certain part of your story 'ermione?" she asked as innocently as she could. Hermione felt like jinxing her. Why did she have to mention it?

"I may have," she answered simply. Ginny glared at her incredulously and Audrey's mouth fell open that little bit more.

"What the bloody hell?" asked Ginny. Her face had turned a pale shade of puce and Hermione was uncertain whether it was because she'd left something out of her restaurant story or because of the unseasonable heat.

"Charlie and I may have bumped into Ron and Lavender last night," the Healer mumbled as she took off her white over coat. As she folded it neatly over the back of her chair she heard Audrey whisper something to Fleur. Fleur must have made a gesture or something as it caused Audrey to chuckle. Hermione turned back round and glared at them all.

"Why didn't you mention it?" Ginny asked incredulously. Hermione frowned and stared at her knees.

"I didn't think it was worth mentioning," she mumbled in a rather childish fashion. She really didn't want to talk about it at all. Why would she want to talk about something that had ruined her night?

"Didn't think it was worth mentioning?" Ginny's temper was flaring up and Hermione guessed that it was partly due to an influx in pregnancy hormones. She shrugged and looked at Fleur.

"I don't really want to talk about it so why don't you regale us with what happened." She couldn't wait to hear this. Deep in the crevasses of her mind she hoped and prayed Ron had told an unexaggerated version of the story but her logic told her not to be so silly. Fleur smirked again and set Victoire down so she could run about.

"Let's see 'ow much of this is true," she said mysteriously, her voice tinkling like the chime of winter bells. Hermione rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. This was going to be good.

"Zey arrived last night at 9.30 and Lavender immediately shoved 'er 'and in my face." Hermione laughed out loud despite herself. Everyone glared at her and she apologised allowing Fleur to continue on with the story.

"Ron told us zey had just been at a fancy restaurant and he…how you say…'popped the question' after zey had the main course. Bill and I congratulated them and took them into the kitchen to get a cup of tea. That was when Ron started. He told us that after he popped the question 'ermione came storming over to their table and started shouting her head off. Said she made a complete scene in front of everyone," Fleur finished and was silent for a second or two. The three ladies stared at Hermione who was grinding her teeth and squeezing her biceps.

"I take it by your reaction Hermione that this isn't true?" Audrey asked quietly as she placed a hand gently on Hermione's forearm.

"Of course it isn't true!" the disgruntled witch said venomously and she burned a hole into the wooden table with her eyes.

"I thought as much. Would you care to tell us the truth?" Fleur said softly as she flipped her gorgeous hair behind her back. Hermione sighed loudly and unfurled her arms. Audrey immediately took one and held it firmly.

"Charlie and I were leaving the place full and happy. We'd had a great night until I heard Lavender squeal in her annoying excited voice. We looked over to see what all the fuss was about and there they were. I even congratulated the lying bastard!"

"Language 'ermione," Fleur said with a chuckle as she glanced towards Victoire. Hermione mumbled another apology and continued on.

"He was then really nasty to us. I told him that Charlie and I were on a date and he said that we were doing things the wrong way round. Charlie asked him what he meant and Ron basically said 'you take her on a date first and then knock her up,'" she finished with a little sniff and pulled a handkerchief out of her trouser pocket.

"Oh that no good, lying, son of a," Ginny started but then Victoire climbed up onto her lap.

"Banshee," she finished and she stroked the little girl on the top of her head. Fleur nodded once and also took Hermione's hand. The Healer sighed morosely and squeezed Audrey and Fleur's fingers.

"I can't believe he would say such a thing!" Ginny was seething with rage Hermione could tell. In fact Ginny was so angry that she knew Ron was going to get a Howler in the evening post tonight. The ladies were silent for a couple of minutes as they contemplated the good and bad news. Audrey was the one to break the silence.

"I can't believe they are getting married." Her tone was the exact same as Charlie's had been last night. Hermione chuckled, glad she had something to laugh about.

A/N: Okay another chapter down :D What did you all think? Any body hating Ron at the moment? REVIEW and tell me everything xxx