Hello again dear readers. I hope you've been enjoying my latest chapters. For this next one, I am going to issue a warning. The end might be a little hard for some people to read. I will assure you though that you have nothing to worry about! You'll know when you get to it. Trust me, and have faith :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harry Potter franchise.

The Unexpected Baby

Chapter Seventeen: Food with friends and family

A migraine was starting to form in her right temple. This was stress related, pure and simple. The paper work in front of her had doubled in the past few days, and it was doing nothing to help her condition. She was drinking as much water as she could, but water alone couldn't tackle her workload. Hermione called for Kelly, who came trotting into her office, a huge smile on her face.

"Why do you look so happy?" Hermione grumbled as she grabbed a pile of folders and held them out for Kelly to take.

"I'm happy because I am going out on a date tonight," Kelly said triumphantly. Hermione managed to crack a smile, and this prompted Kelly to sit down and explain.

"It's a second date actually. I met him in the Three Broomsticks a few weeks back. He's just moved to Wales from America and he is really nice. A proper gentleman."

Hermione smiled again and nodded her head as Kelly explained more about the American wizard she'd met. It was plain to see the woman was smitten, and Hermione was happy for her. As Kelly rambled on, she found her mind drifting to Charlie, and the kiss they had shared only a week previous. She'd tried to talk to Charlie about it but kept losing her nerve. This was the reason she had summoned Ginny to her office today, to ask her advice.

"Kelly could you take this huge batch of folders to Healer Cummings. Tell him they are from my own personal workload handed down by Healer Kensington. He'll get the drift that I would like help with them. Also could you run down to the Pharma-Healer and ask them to make me some pregnancy friendly migraine potion?" Hermione asked the perky receptionist. Kelly gave her a look of sympathy as she took the extra files Hermione held out for her.

"Too pregnant for the charm?" she asked knowingly. Hermione gave her a glum look.

"Yes," she said morosely. Normally when she had a headache, she could use a simple charm and vanish the pain away. Once a pregnant witch progressed into her second trimester, she was not allowed to use certain charms on her body. The headache/migraine relief charm was one of them.

She rubbed her temples as Kelly left the room and heard her speak to people outside the door. Ginny and Fleur entered the room moments later. Hermione gave them a welcoming smile and conjured an extra cushioned chair for Ginny, who sat in the seat with a heavy sigh.

"I hate walking," she moaned as she took off her travel cloak. Fleur chuckled as she too settled in the other chair already in Hermione's office.

"Audrey could not make eet," Fleur explained, placing her handbag at her feet. "Somezing came up at ze Ministry."

"How long have we got?" Hermione asked the half Vela woman.

"I have to be back in work in one hour," Fleur informed her, her voice tinkling like fine china. Hermione nodded her head and temporarily vanished the workload on her desk, and replaced it with a feast of sandwiches, fruit and sweet treats. A fancy pot of tea with cups and saucers, and a jug of pumpkin juice and glasses also appeared.

"We'll eat here. I don't really want to sit in the canteen. No privacy," Hermione explained as she handed the women plates and some napkins. Fleur and Ginny eyed her suspiciously.

"Why would we need privacy?" Ginny asked coyly, grabbing a handful of egg and watercress sandwiches.

Hermione paused before she answered. She didn't know why she was finding it hard to talk. Her feelings for Charlie were so muddled at the moment. Was she embarrassed to talk about them? Surely not, she had invited Ginny and Fleur here today to talk and seek help. Her tongue just didn't want to work for her.

"I kissed Charlie," she finally forced out. Fleur stopped mid sip of her tea, but Ginny continued to munch on her sandwich. The room was quite for a moment, and then Ginny piped up.

"And?" she asked simply. Something inside Hermione shattered. She shouldn't have been surprised that Ginny wasn't surprised. She had been the one to float the idea that Hermione already loved Charlie. She cleared her throat and explained more of her predicament.

"I kissed him after the engagement party, and I haven't had the guts to talk to him about it since. The baby started moving and I got distracted, and then we met Harry to talk about Ron and well…it got pushed to the side. I really have tried to begin a conversation, but something stops me," she said as she cradled a cup of tea in her hand. She wasn't drinking at the moment but the heat in her hands comforted her.

"I've told you Hermione, and I'll tell you again. You love him," Ginny said matter-of-factly as she picked up another sandwich to start eating. Fleur frowned slightly and shook her head.

"I would not say you love him 'ermione," she said slowly, eliciting a sharp glare from Ginny. Hermione motioned for her to continue on in her train of thought. She was interested to know what Fleur thought of the whole situation.

"No I would say you 'ave very strong feelings for him. Could zey be called love? In time maybe, but you are in a very difficult situation. Take zis business with Ron for example," the silver haired, half Vela said in her stilted French accent. Hermione found that listening to Fleur talk could be very soothing, and in this instance, it was doing exactly that for her nerves.

"Ugh Ron," Ginny hissed with annoyance. Hermione looked at her and inclined her head for her to speak. All she wanted to do was listen and try and gather her tumultuous thoughts.

"Don't even get me started on that git. He is being nothing but a nuisance! While I am very happy for him and Lavender, I also feel sorry for her. Did you hear Harry's theory?" Ginny asked Fleur while Hermione quietly listened and ate her lunch. Fleur shook her head and Ginny gave her a brief rundown of Harry's theory of Ron feeling humiliated. Fleur went from shocked to puzzled in a matter of minutes.

"Zat is preposterous! I don't zink Ron still loves 'ermione, why would he 'ave proposed to Lavender if he did?" she asked, thoroughly outraged. Hermione could feel some of her Vela power in the air. Fleur was a scary person when she was angry.

"That's just it. Ron wants to have his cake and eat it, so to speak. He loves Lavender more than anything, and he does treat her like a princess, but he has this insane ego. He thinks he's Merlin's gift to women. In his twisted mind he is thinking that Hermione could never possibly get over him and was probably thinking for a long time that she would eventually become some crazy old spinster with ten thousand cats," Ginny started to explain. Hermione snorted into her tea, and this resulted in her having to stifle a coughing fit. Her head pounded and she hoped Kelly would be along soon with her potion.

"Ridiculous," Fleur muttered as she took some chocolate covered strawberries from the fruit plate. Ginny leaned forward in her chair as much as her pregnant belly would allow. Hermione found herself doing the same.

"Once Hermione finally moved on, and with Charlie nonetheless, this ego of his kicks in and he feels 'humiliated,'" Ginny finished, using air quotes on the word humiliated.

"Sounds like he is being a child about zis," Fleur muttered bitterly. Ginny nodded her head sharply and reached for a chocolate strawberry.

"Huge child! Harry said that he thought Ron would have taken it better if Hermione had gotten together with someone we didn't know, but I say that it would just have been the same," the red haired Weasley sister said with a note of finality to her voice.

Hermione leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment. She was starting to see the Ron issue with a little more clarity. Having this particular conversation now made her feel more confident for the barbeque. She needed to be the one to put Ron in his place, no one else. This was a battle she needed to fight on her own. A tap on the door interrupted the women in their conversation and Kelly popped her head into the office.

"I have your potion Healer Granger," she said brightly as she skipped in and placed a bottle of sunflower yellow potion on her desk. Hermione thanked her and invited her to stay for some sandwiches. She didn't mind Kelly being a part of the conversation. Kelly got to see her everyday and she could tell when Hermione was troubled. Maybe she would have some insight for her.

"Why can't I talk to Charlie about our kiss then?" she asked, causing Kelly to drop a sandwich in shock. Ginny laughed and briefed Kelly on what had been discussed.

"Is Charlie not leaving in a couple of weeks?" Kelly asked as she cleaned up her dropped sandwich. Hermione nodded her head in confirmation and felt a tightening in her chest. Charlie would be leaving the week after the barbeque, something she tried very hard not to think about.

"There is your reason," Kelly answered simply. The three other women stared at her in stunned silence for a moment before Kelly realised that no one had reacted to her statement.

"Come on it's clear isn't it? She's afraid of having a deep, potentially very meaningful conversation with him, for him to then just up and leave her a couple of weeks later. You know Hermione is a logical thinker, even her subconscious. That big brain of hers is holding her back to protect her feelings."

The three women remained silent for several seconds more, and Hermione could see Ginny trying not to let her jaw drop. Fleur twirled a piece of hair around her finger as she thought. Hermione grabbed the yellow potion and downed its contents before speaking.

"I never knew you were so wise Kelly," she said with a slight chuckle. Kelly winked at her and sipped her tea.

"I'm more than just a pretty face!"

When Hermione got home that evening, there were two letters waiting for her on the table beside the sofa. Socks watched her cautiously from her climbing tree as she kicked off her shoes and tore into the first of the two. It was a letter from the Mid-Healer regarding her 20-week check-up. She smirked, Healer Manning must have gotten the message about not sending her appointments to her in the office. The second letter was from her mother, inviting her and Charlie to dinner in two days. Seeing her mother's handwriting made her heart lift. She'd been so busy that getting to spend time with her own family had been hard. Sometimes it was just so easy to get drawn in by the Weasley clan.

"You're home," said Charlie happily as he walked into the living area from the kitchen, carrying a huge bowl and a spoon. Hermione could smell something wonderful and her mouth watered.

"I made stew. Mum's recipe, so you know it's tasty. Have my bowl, I didn't think you'd be back for another hour," he said as he handed her the bowl and spoon. Hermione looked at the delicious dish and nearly cried with happiness. Stew was just what her stomach needed right now. The pregnancy friendly migraine potion had left her feeling ever so slightly tender. She dug the spoon in, opened her mouth and relished in the flavour.

"Did you get a letter from the hospital?" Charlie asked as he reappeared with another bowl and sat down on the sofa next to her. Hermione swallowed quickly and then passed Charlie the letter. He read it quickly and then his face fell. Hermione gave him a quizzical look as she helped herself to another tasty mouthful. Charlie chewed his lip before he spoke. He looked directly at Hermione and set the letter on his lap.

"It's scheduled for the day I go back to Romania."

Hermione paced up and down her parents' kitchen as her mother prepared the evening meal. Charlie and her father were in the living area watching a nature documentary on the television. Charlie had been immediately engrossed in watching a pack of lions hunt down a zebra.

"Have you tried to reschedule?" Martha asked her worried daughter as she stirred a pot of bolognese. Hermione sighed, stopped pacing and leaned against the kitchen counter. Her hair fell about her shoulders and it was annoying her so she hastily tied it into a knot on the top of her head.

"I tried. I went to Healer Manning the day after the letter arrived and tried to reschedule. She wouldn't do it. Kendra Manning hates me," Hermione moaned loudly. Her mother walked over to her and gave her a gentle hug and rubbed her back.

"I doubt she hates you honey," Martha murmured into Hermione's shoulder. Hermione gave a short, bitter laugh.

"She does mum. She's had it in for me ever since I became a Healing Consultant. I know the mid-healer schedule is busy. It's even busier than my own department's patient schedule. I don't want to be a total tyrant and assert my authority either, it might inconvenience another witch who really needs it," Hermione muttered into her mother's hair. She was enjoying the sensation of her mother rubbing her back and felt a great sense of loss when they pulled apart from the hug. Martha reached up and cupped Hermione's cheek for a second before she moved away to tend to the bubbling pot.

"Can Charlie make the appointment?" she asked her daughter.

"He can, but barely. He has to go from the hospital straight to the portkey location," Hermione explained. Martha turned to look at her daughter, a slight frown on her face.

"That's the junk item transport, right? Why can he not do the disappear, reappear thing?" Martha asked, momentarily forgetting the words Apparate and Disapparate. Hermione nodded her head and ran her hand over her bump, relishing in the little tiny movements of the baby inside.

"The reserve is like Hogwarts. You can't Apparate inside its boundaries. He has to take the portkey to a location just outside the reserve and walk the rest of the way. It would be about a mile, give or take."

"Need a hand Martha?" Bruce asked, making his way into the kitchen. Hermione smiled at her father. When she and Charlie had arrived at the house, her father had gone straight up to her and apologised for his behaviour at their last get together. He had then proceeded to clap Charlie on the back and shake his hand vigorously. Hermione had had to hold back tears of joy.

"We're about done here Bruce. Could you and Charlie set the table?"

"Already done Martha!" Charlie called from the dining room. Martha chuckled and then shrieked as the pot of bolognese lifted off the cooker and floated into the dining room.

"Charlie!" Hermione shouted. Charlie poked his head through the kitchen door, looking thoroughly confused. Hermione had never shouted at him before.

"No magic, we're not in the Burrow!" Hermione growled. Martha and Bruce laughed heartily and ushered their daughter into the dining room.

"Don't be so harsh on him petal, that's just what he is used to. He was only trying to help," Bruce said enthusiastically as the pasta and bolognese started to serve itself. Charlie laughed innocently as he waved his wand over the dining table. Hermione felt her shoulders relax. She normally didn't use magic in the house she grew up in, but seeing her mother and father interacting with Charlie so well made her feel like she had no problems in the world.

Once dinner was finished the four satisfied people sat around the dinner table sipping on beverages. Charlie had his hand resting on his stomach as he sipped on a delicious, full bodied red wine Bruce had produced. Being in the company of the Grangers was a brilliant feeling. They looked at him like they had never met a fully formed, adult wizard before, even though he knew this wasn't the case. Bruce had certainly come around to the idea of being a grandparent and was now regaling them with stories of when Hermione was a baby.

"We always knew she was special," he said as he took another hearty sip of wine. Martha beamed from ear to ear as Hermione put her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"Strange things always seemed to happen around her," Bruce continued as Hermione hissed at her father to be quite and finish his wine.

"Things disappeared and objects moved place. At one point I was convinced our house was haunted!" the jolly dentist explained. Charlie laughed and glanced at Hermione. From what he could see of her face in her hands, she was beetroot pink with embarrassment.

"When we got her letter to Hogwarts that instantly explained everything to us. We couldn't believe we had a witch in the family. Proud doesn't even come close to what we felt." Hermione looked up from her hands, a weak smile on her face. She always knew her parents had been proud of her, but hearing her father speak like this, after everything that had happened during their last meeting, made her feel all sorts of emotions.

Hermione glanced at her watch and realised the time. She had the early shift in the hospital in the morning and if she didn't get home to bed soon she wouldn't have the energy for work in the morning. Charlie noticed her peeking at her watch and stood up.

"Martha, Bruce, what can I say? That was such a lovely meal. I am truly full, and for a Weasley that's pretty hard to achieve. I think we have to be getting home now. Hermione is working early in the morning and if she doesn't get to bed now, she'll be an absolute bear in the morning when she gets up."

Martha laughed and got up from her seat too. She started to grab the plates, but with a wave of his wand, Charlie cleared the table and made the dishes start washing themselves in the kitchen sink. Martha squeaked with glee and Hermione made a mental note to do a lot more magic around this house from now on, not just when her parents asked her.

"Before you leave," Martha said quickly as she dashed into the hallway to grab something. Bruce puffed up with pride as he looked at the small bag Martha brought back into the room. Hermione glanced at Charlie, who looked pleasantly surprised.

"Think of it as the first of many presents from us," Martha said as she handed Hermione the bag. She ushered her daughter to open it and see what was inside. Hermione obeyed and reached into the bag. From its shallow depths she pulled out a new born sized onesie.

"Oh mum, dad, thank you it's beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed, tears instantly leaking down her face at the sight of the tiny piece of clothing. It was plain white, with a small yellow duckling in the middle. Hermione looked at Charlie who also looked like he might cry. It was their first piece of clothing for the baby and somehow it made everything feel so much more real.

Charlie couldn't sleep. He was tossing and turning trying to get comfortable but was having no success. He threw the covers off his body and got out of bed. He walked into the living area and sat down on the sofa. Socks and Shadow were both sleeping on the climbing tree. He smiled at them and let them sleep, undisturbed. The gift bag from the Grangers was sitting on the table beside the sofa. He took it and rummaged around inside, pulling out the new born onesie.

'It's so small,' he thought to himself as he examined it in the dim light of his wand tip. He rubbed the fabric in between his fingers and relished in the softness.

'I can't believe that a little person is going to fit inside of this,' he thought, laying the onesie out on his lap. His heart swelled with pride thinking about his unborn child. He then thought about Hermione and his heart thumped hard in his chest. He thought about the kiss they had shared after the engagement party. It had been so passionate and then so loving. He wanted to talk to Hermione about it, but he didn't how to start the conversation.

"Charlie?" Hermione called from her bedroom. Temporarily stunned by the sound of her calling his name, she then shouted for him again, this time with more urgency in her voice. He sprung from the sofa and raced to her room.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" he said as he burst through the bedroom door, just in time to see her leaving her private bathroom. She looked up at him with terror in her eyes. Charlie ran to her and grabbed her gently by the arms.

"We need to go to the hospital, now. I'm bleeding!"

A/N: Remember what I said at the top. Have faith. I'm using some experience I've gained from my best friend so please...don't worry!