Chapter Forty - Looking At The Sun
Ron tried to sulk but in the end he had to admit that Draco and Will had a point. Hermione had been a pain throughout the pregnancy but then that might not have been her fault. She had been an old nag with him but that was just Hermione's way when she cared about someone, especially when they weren't too keen on listening to her advice and he hadn't been very keen on listening to Hermione for a long time. Ron sighed to himself as Draco slept, he had really messed up his life, and he could have had much more for himself after the war was over but he had thrown it all away over foolish pride. It wasn't as if Hermione had been throwing herself at every wizard since she told him about Oliver Wood, she hadn't looked at another man. Why couldn't it have been just an honest mistake in the confusion of war?
He could claim the child as his own, Ron thought suddenly, whether anyone believed it or not, there would at least be more than half a chance that the child would end up with Hermione's mousey coloured hair this way. He could have an instant family, maybe they could have another child together, many were responding to the calls to 'rebuild the Wizarding world' by doing so. He could be just like Severus and Harry too if he could just swallow his pride. Well, maybe not quite like that.
Ron jumped when he heard the front door open, it was the middle of the night and he certainly hadn't been warned that there might be other people coming in and out of Sgoil Dhubh. The living room door opened next and Ron looked round to see who it was. He breathed a sigh of relief; in the dim light, he saw that it was only Severus and Harry.
"We need Draco to smell a few potions," Harry explained to Ron.
"He's asleep," Ron snapped, then he remembered his new resolve to sort out his life, "Do you want me to wake him?"
Harry sat himself down on one of the sofas and Severus sat by his side, they looked tired as if they had been working all day and most of the evening too.
"No rush," Severus said looking as if he was just glad of the break.
"Are you staying?" Ron asked.
"I thought we would for a while, make sure you and Draco aren't driving Will insane," Severus spoke.
"Though it is mainly because Will's breakfasts are legendary," Harry added trying to soften the impact of his Kin.
"You make all that effort to get rid of us and then follow us here," Ron grumbled.
"I made no effort at all to get rid of you!" Harry protested, "You know it was Will's idea and you have to admit that as adults we all need a little more of our own space so that we can sit together like this on occasion and get on like good friends."
"Feel free to not include me in this cosy little scenario," Severus grumbled.
Ron sighed again, now Harry was having a point too, "How are you getting on with the potion?"
"We stole a whole load of potions from the Malfoy Manor and we've got a few that seem to be of the right type but the easiest way of figuring out which is the right one is to get Draco to smell them." Harry explained.
"You should get some sleep, you look knackered," Ron said avoiding the use of Harry's name so that it might half look like he meant the comment for Severus also, he wasn't quite up to regarding him specifically yet.
"Exactly what we had planned, Severus?" Harry said, a little glint in his eye.
"Our usual quarters?" Severus enquired with a similar glint.
Ron could sense the Kinishness of the exchange and turned away. He should have realised sooner that Severus and Harry had little time for purposely plotting to annoy him; they were far too obsessed with each other.
When Will had got over the surprise of finding Severus and Harry bedded down on his kitchen floor the next morning he was sent out to the shops in the Land Rover for more food supplies. When he returned Severus helped him cook the size of breakfast that made it essential to be eating for two in order to cope with it.
Harry, Severus and Will sat in the kitchen together to eat their breakfast; it was almost like it had been when Severus and Harry had been on the run and living at Sgoil Dhubh. Will reflected that it was very nice to have them back and he certainly hoped that they would come back soon, Sgoil Dhubh had got very quiet since everybody else had gone and it was far too big a house for one.
"Do you want to come back with us for a while?" Harry suggested to Will after the breakfast things had been cleared away.
"Can I leave them on their own?" Will asked, surprised that it had been suggested.
"The wards are very strong here," Harry replied, "We stayed here when half the Wizarding world was after us, I am sure that Draco and Ron will be quite safe here."
Will smiled, "I would like to visit Professor Trelawney again if that is all right," Will said accepting the invitation, he also thought that he might visit Hermione too.
Severus wanted to get back to his potions research and so it wasn't long before he was getting Draco to smell the potions that he had brought with him. Severus only hoped that Draco recognised at least one of them and hadn't taken the last and only stock away with him when he had left his father.
"That's the one," Draco announced when he had sniffed the contents of the fifth phial.
"Are you sure?" Severus asked.
"Yes, there has never been anything else that smelled quite like it," Draco confirmed.
Severus made the young man smell all the remaining potions too but at the end of the session he was still confident that he had identified the correct one.
Severus scrutinised the label of the potion and tried to recall if he had come across it before, it would be just his luck if the potion was one of Lucius' specials and he suspected that it was most certainly the case.
Severus and Harry were keen to get back to Hogwarts now that they had made some progress and they waited for Will in the hallway. Will had made an excuse to linger behind in the living room a minute longer. He took a couple of bottles out from where he had hidden them behind one of the sofas.
"Now remember," Will began, "There are absolutely no house elves here, bare that in mind when you order your meal tonight." He took a takeaway menu out of his pocket and laid it on the coffee table, "You use the phone in the hallway to order and the funny thing about Muggles is that they get rather confused when they get close to the wards and they will leave the food by the gate. You will have to go out to get it but they will have gone without payment so order as much as you like."
"I think I like this house!" Ron said grinning for the first time since the last time he was drunk.
"Whatever you do," Will warned, "Do not step outside the gate, that's where the ward ends apparently."
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With a quick hug and a kiss Severus disappeared back into his potions room and left Harry with Will in their living room back at Hogwarts.
"So are you going to see Trelawney now?" Harry asked.
"Might do, do you want to come with me?" Will offered.
Harry couldn't help twisting his face a little, "I don't think so."
"Actually I was thinking of looking for Hermione, I think Ron might want to get back with her, we were talking about it last night."
"Really?" Harry said not hiding his surprise, "Well I will come with you to see Hermione, even if she has been a bit mad since we came back."
"Still not as mad as Professor Trelawney apparently," Will added.
Harry smiled, "No, not quite that mad."
Harry and Will left the headmaster's quarters and headed down one of the moving staircases all of which had decided to move around as much as they liked now that Ron was temporarily outside the castle wards.
"This could take a while," Will said as he remembered the size of the castle.
"Not really," Harry countered pulling his very helpful map from a pocket in his robes.
Will watched with amazement as Harry looked over the map looking for Hermione's footsteps.
"Oh, in the library, there's a surprise," Harry said as he found her in no time at all.
"So this book carrying thing is a regular occurrence?" Will asked.
"Oh yes."
"Mad and intelligent, sounds like my kind of girl," Will commented as they made their way down the stairs to the library.
They saw Hermione as soon as they walked into the library. She heard them enter too and gave them a slight glance then looked back down at her book until she realised who she had seen.
"Will, Harry!" Hermione said trying to smooth her hair into some semblance of order, "What brings you so far out of the Kin's lair?"
Will smiled at Hermione's words but Harry failed to be amused, "We came looking for you actually, Will and I would like to ask you to tea."
"Really?" Hermione queried with suspicion, "Did Ron put you up to this?"
"No," Harry confirmed truthfully, "In fact he isn't even going to be there, it's just you, me and Will here."
"What have you done with Snape?"
"Headmaster Snape is researching and preparing a special potion at the moment, we will have the living room to ourselves."
"Harry the Kin not helping his beloved with the potion then?" Hermione taunted.
"I have a Kin Bond, not a death wish," Harry tried to joke before he got angry at Hermione's teasing, he wanted everything to go well for Ron's sake.
"Fine, I will come with you, you had better get some nice cakes," Hermione conceded pulling herself up from the chair and in the process unintentionally emphasising her hugeness.
"So, when are you due, can't be long now?" Harry asked as he began to feel extremely jealous and Will scooped the books up out of Hermione's arms as soon as she had picked them up.
"Not long," Hermione answered vaguely, "About a week to go I think, maybe two."
Harry thought that it was a bit odd that Hermione could be so precise and knowledgeable on so many things and so vague on something a lot more important, he had more sense than to say anything though. In the interests of trying to patch up their friendship he offered her his arm to link with instead. They knew that with Hermione, they wouldn't be able to just drag her in front of an apologetic Ron and expect everything to sort itself out, she would require a bit more effort than that.
"So what has brought this on so suddenly?" Hermione asked as they made their way up the stairs to the Headmaster's quarters.
"We've been thinking about it for a while, we all know that life can be too short sometimes," Harry tried to persuade her, "Too short to accommodate estrangement."
"Not because I am about to have a baby and you have some weird Kin thing about being close to one?" Hermione asked knowingly, or so she thought.
"That isn't why!" Harry protested truthfully, thoughnow that Hermione had brought the subject up he couldn't help thinking about it.
"I played my part," Will added, "Since I have met you I must confess that I have been telling them how silly they have been, if only because I found you intriguing and wanted to meet you again. See, it is all my doing."
Hermione smiled and perhaps blushed a little, "Really?" She asked as they stopped on the stairs and she turned a little so that she could see Will who was walking behind her.
"Yes," Will continued, "A lady who reads this much must be worthy of further investigation."
Hermione turned back to Harry, "Come on then," she demanded, "I want cake and I want it now."
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Harry ordered their afternoon tea from the fire and Will meanwhile took over the role of host with Hermione. Harry was beginning to wonder whether Will's friendly behaviour was doing anything at all to encourage Hermione to take Ron back, or quite the opposite.
Hermione had taken a seat on one of the sofas and she shuffled a little to get comfortable.
"Get your feet up," Will commanded her, "There's plenty of room."
Hermione did as she was told and Will collected the cushions together so that she could get comfortable and still be able to drink her tea.
"You need someone looking after you lass," Will added as he too took his place on the sofa.
Harry came away from the fire and sat beside Will, "Which is why you should let Ron make amends," Harry spoke before Will had a chance to say or do anything else.
"Regardless of who the father was," Will persuaded, "Being a father isn't about one night, it's about being there."
"Ron falls short on both the latter and the former," Hermione responded almost snapping.
The house elf arrived with the tea and cakes and so the conversation was mercifully broken and Harry was happy to pour the tea and made no effort to continue it. If Ron hadn't behaved like a complete prat then things might have been a whole lot easier. If they could manage to get Hermione to agree to talk to Ron then he would have to be left to sort out the mess he had partially created for himself.
Hermione ate with the hunger of one who was eating for two and Will made sure her plate remained well stocked. Harry himself concentrated on helping himself to the double portions he felt he should consume, if only for the benefit of his own child.
Harry watched Hermione and Will interacting, Will was still extending her far too much attention for their purposes; he would have to have a word with Will soon about it. Hermione looked tired and then sleepy as she finished eating and as Will returned to the sofa and he and Harry quietly finished drinking their tea she closed her eyes and her breathing calmed.
"She could do with the rest," Will commented when they were sure that Hermione was asleep.
"Could you possibly try not to act like the best boyfriend she never had?" Harry asked with a smile.
"I don't know what you mean," Will responded trying to look mortally offended, "I was just trying to help as a friend, maybe you lot should have been doing more but that's not my fault."
"In any case she's too young for you, you're about the same age as Severus," Harry tried to continue.
"And you are the same age as Hermione, what is your point exactly?" Will countered.
"She belongs to Ron," Harry added.
"I was just being friendly," Will said shrugging, "It's you and Severus who seem to think there's more to it."
"Hmm, well try not to let her think it's more."
"If we get Ron to do the same things that I am doing now then it'll be half the battle for him. I find out what she responds to and it doesn't matter if I make a few mistakes, then all Ron has to do to make Hermione want him back is do all the things she likes, how do you like that idea?"
Harry grinned, "Could work, don't over do it though."
"I won't, trust me."
"Want to learn how to play wizard chess?" Harry asked.
"How is that different from normal chess?" Will asked.
Harry grinned again, "You'll see."
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After one game of chess Harry went through to the potions room to check up on Severus but when he returned to the living room Hermione had gone. Will was still sat on the sofa.
"What have you done with her?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," Will answered looking a little less cheerful with Hermione gone Harry couldn't help but notice.
"So where is she? I was only gone a few minutes."
"She woke up and said that she had to go, I don't know why."
Harry shrugged, "Oh well, maybe we'll invite her back up here for tea again before Ron gets back."
"Yes, another time," Will agreed, "Though we could see her sooner, she left her books."
"She left her books?" Harry reiterated noticing that they were indeed on the coffee table still, "She never leaves her books."
Will frowned, "Wonder what the rush was then."
"There is something wrong, how did she seem?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Will shrugged, "She seemed a bit uncomfortable but then she could give birth any day."
"Like any day like today."
"But she wouldn't run off then would she."
"We're not exactly her best friends are we, no where near good enough to share something like that, we had better go after her." Harry said hoping that what he suspected was the case was not the case at all.
Harry and Will left the Headmaster's quarters and headed off along the quickest route to Gryffindor tower, it seemed most likely that that was where Hermione would go though he couldn't know what arrangements Hermione had made.
They kept their pace brisk but didn't have far to go before they caught up with Hermione, she hadn't even got up any stairs and was walking along the corridor with one hand resting on the wall as she shuffled along.
Will went ahead as he was tall, fit and possessed a disproportionate amount of interest.
"Where are you going to?" Will asked pleasantly enough.
"Back to my quarters, I told you there are things I need to do," Hermione answered.
"You don't look well, I'll escort you," Will offered attempting to take Hermione's arms.
Hermione resisted Will's offer of help, "I am fine, let me go." She snapped.
"You were quite ready to accept my company before, what have I done?" Will asked.
"Nothing," Hermione answered.
Will wished she would hurry up and confess what was really going on, he could see it in her eyes and feel it when he touched her; she was going to be having her baby very soon.
"Let me go," Hermione continued trying to turn around and leave Will.
Instead of walking forward, away from Harry and Will, Hermione grabbed a pillar and leant towards it, apparently unable to go any further.
Harry gave Will a knowing look and they both rushed forward together. Will took Hermione's hand away from the pillar and she fell towards him. Momentarily giving no argument, she leant up against Will and held onto him.
"Looks like the baby's coming," Will announced, not that Harry needed or Hermione needed informing of this fact.
After a short while the tension that had been in Hermione's arms relaxed and leant limply against Will for a second or two before she began to struggle in his hold.
"How long has this been happening?" Will demanded to know.
"A few hours, let me go." Hermione replied as she struggled.
"A few hours!" Harry snapped at Hermione.
"It wasn't like this before, it was like an ache, it wasn't as strong," Hermione protested.
"After reading all those books!" Harry continued.
"And then when you woke up just now you realised what was happening didn't you?" Will added.
"What do books know, nothing will prepare you for what it feels like, now take me to Gryffindor tower right now," Hermione continued.
Will laughed, "We are not going up to Gryffindor tower, not all the way up those stairs, you are coming back with us." He announced.
"I am not," Hermione insisted stubbornly. Then a contraction made her stop protesting and she leant on Will again.
"Now they are a bit too close together for you to be going anywhere," Will observed.
"Expert, are you?" Hermione snapped but she didn't let go of Will.
"Judging by the current state of affairs I don't think I need to be," Will responded, he then scooped Hermione up in his arms and started off towards the Headmaster's quarters again.
"My, you're heavy," Will commented as they reached the stairs up to the tower.
"Well put me down then," Hermione continued to protest but the fight was starting to go out of her.
"No." Will said firmly as he started off up the stairs.
Harry had to wonder if Ron was ever going to get back with Hermione with Will around. He then wondered if he should disturb his Kin with news of this recent development as he followed Will up the stairs.
Coming Soon: Chapter 41 - Hiding From The Moon - As Hermione gives birth to her childthe emotional cracks begin to show.