11 Weeks

It was positive.

The muggle pregnancy tests. The magical pregnancy test. There was no denying it now.

Hermione Granger was pregnant. Harry Potter is the father.

She had a life growing inside of her.

Nausea bubbled in her stomach as overwhelming anxiety pooled inside her.

A baby. A child. Being a parent. Sleepless nights. Constant worry. She saw it with her parents, her friend's parents, goodness even some of her own friends

Children. A family came with its own set of stressors and worries. Feeding them, caring for them, raising them to be good, kind, smart people.

Not only was she responsible for herself - she'd be responsible for another person. A baby. A child. Their own person.

Oh, Godric. Did she have what it takes to do this?

She was freaking out.

So, she did what any sensible woman would do.

She called her mother.

Nicole Granger answered on the third ring. "Darling! How are you?"

They exchanged their usual greetings and the conversation lulled after chatting about the latest goings and gossip of the shopping center their dentist practice was located. Apparently, The Green Palace was not certified organic.

"What did you want to talk about, Hermione?"

Hermione played with the ends of her shirt. "I just wanted to check-in."

"I see," the line was quiet for a moment. "Have you been eating well? I don't want to hear about you overworking yourself."

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm fine, mum. My workload isn't that heavy actually and I'm eating as best as I can."

Her mum chuckled over the line. "You know, if city life isn't what it's cut out to be, you're always welcome to come home."

"Mum," she whined.

"We just miss you is all."

"Thanks, mum. I -" She stared at her empty flat. Crookshanks stared at her from the arm of the sofa. "Have I ever told you how great you are?"

Her mum laughed. "Not very often, but the compliments are always welcome."

"I hope I'll be as great as you are." Hermione covered her eyes with her hands.

"Hermione?"

"I'm tired. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"


Hermione threw up into her trash can for the second time when she decided enough was enough. She vanished the throw-up, rinsed her mouth with some water and stood up from her desk.

She grabbed her purse and exited her office, making her way to Mrs. Fawley's desk.

Mrs. Fawley looked over her with soft eyes. Hermione worried she actually knew what was going on.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Granger?"

"I'll be taking my lunch early, Mrs. Fawley. I'll be back in an hour. Hold my mail, please."

Fawley nodded. "Will do."

Hermione strode out the ministry with purpose, walking to their designated apparition points. With the place in mind, she disapparated.

She stumbled slightly, holding her hand against the brick wall beside her. She straightened herself and walked out onto the sidewalk.

She was in the city of Bath, heading toward the De Haven Medical Center. It wasn't quite the trauma and recuperation center that was St. Mungos. De Haven wasn't for magical accidents or magical maladies. It was the place you came for yearly check-ups, to treat non-life threatening illnesses, and most importantly where people had their babies.

De Haven Medical Center was fashioned into an ancient Roman Citadel. It looked quite rundown on the outside but expertly charmed for the needs of wizards and witches.

Hermione walked through the double doors and headed straight for the receptionist's desk. After the two people before her left, she stepped up to the receptionist.

"Hello," she said, "I'd like to set up a prenatal wellness check."

The receptionist's eyes brightened. "Excellent. Do you have a healer or doctor you're seeing regularly?"

Hermione appreciated her double usage. She shook her head.

"I understand. Well, do you have a preference? Male, female? Knowledgeable in muggle practices?"

"Female and preferably both, please."

She nodded. "When are you available?"

"I want the soonest availability."

She checked her calendars. "The closest availability I have is next Friday at eleven in the morning. Would you like a different day?"

Hermione shook her head. "That works for me."

"Very good, I'll write you in for Healer Owen. She's also a licensed doctor." She bent down and grabbed something from beneath the desk. The receptionist handed the packet over. "This is our welcome packet and some papers to fill out for your first appointment. I'd like to be the first to say, congratulations and welcome to the De Haven family."

"Thank you."

# # #

Hermione felt sluggish for the rest of the day. She wasn't sure if it was the apparating or the pregnancy, but she felt tired and she just wanted to lie down and take a nap.

Mrs. Fawley asked if she was alright when she returned. She appreciated the concern, but she told her she was fine. She was for the most part.

Just growing a new human inside of her. No big deal.

Scratch that. It was a huge deal.

It was the worst deal as Hermione found herself curled over her toilet again after taking a whiff of the tuna salad in her fridge.

Her stomach was sore from throwing up so much. She just wanted to sleep. But she was so hungry. How was she supposed to eat when everything made her lose her appetite? How do people do this? Merlin, even her prenatal vitamin made her want to throw up.

She returned to her kitchen and groaned. She just wanted to eat some food.


Before she knew it four days had passed. A whole week since Harry left and she was no closer to figuring out how to tell him.

Maybe she could invite him over for dinner and just tell him. She couldn't see herself doing something cute like present a onesie or baby booties. Harry was not her husband or boyfriend. He was her best friend. She just needed to be upfront and honest.

She tapped her pen against the latest werewolf legislation draft she was working on. She was anxious and for the last few days, she thought it was because she didn't know how to tell Harry. But maybe that wasn't it.

She was scared of what Harry is going to say.

She knew he wasn't entirely against the idea of having children. He wanted a family of his own. It was the when and the who.

Having a child with her - that was a whole different story. Was he going to be mad? Frustrated? Would he even be happy? This might mess up any future relationship he'll get into. Having a kid with some other person, who happened to be his best friend, and will now be in his life permanently. His future partners might not like that.

She rested her head against her desk, letting the wood cool her down. Either way and however it turns out, there will be a baby in the midst of it.

Unplanned, but not unwanted. Being twenty-five, she was luckily financially stable and wasn't worried about relying on Harry or her parents. So, if needed, she and the baby could go at it on their own.

Goodness, her parents. What were they going to say?

"Granger? What's wrong with you?" Ainsworth stood in the doorway of her office.

"Just a little overheated." She sat up. "What can I do for you?"

"There's food in the meeting room and Sterling wanted me to remind you he wants this draft by the end of the week."

"Right," she sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"You sure you're okay? Are you sick? Merlin, are you dying but don't know how to tell us?" Ainsworth had the nerve to roll his eyes.

"I'm not dying!"

He shrugged. "Alright, alright. There's roast beef sandwiches, crisps, and an assortment of biscuits."

"What's the occasion?" She stood up. She wanted some biscuits.

"No idea, but free food." He strolled back down the hall to his office.

Hermione slowly made her way out of her office and toward the meeting room. She stepped inside and immediately regretted it. The smell of roast beef was making her stomach curl within itself. She grabbed the nearest biscuits and ran back to her office, taking a deep breath.

She spent the next hour munching on her biscuits and working on the draft for the next portion of their werewolf legislation. It was barely one p.m., but her head felt foggy and she was tired. She hadn't even done anything and she was tired.

"I can't think." She packed up her things, the rest of her biscuits, and slowly made her way out of her office. She crept up to Mrs. Fawley's desk. "Hey," she said softly. "I'm heading home a little early."

"Not feeling well, Ms. Granger?" Mrs. Fawley's eyes creased with concern. "Don't worry, I'll hold your mail and update you tomorrow of any changes."

"Thank you. You're the best." She walked around the desk and headed for the lift. The lift opened just as she was walking into the corridor. She held back a squeak.

Mr. Sterling strode out of the lift, his attention on the documents in his hands. Maybe if she didn't move, he wouldn't notice her –

"Ms. Granger? Do you have a meeting?"

She scraped her shoe against the floor. "I'm not feeling quite well. I'm heading home to take it easy."

"I see." He put his documents away. "I hope this won't become a habit for you, Ms. Granger."

She straightened her back. "No, sir, and I'll try to get some work done at home."

He nodded, walking past her. "See that you do."

She breathed out a sigh and got in the lift.

# # #

Hermione curled up in the loveseat, draping a quilted blanket over legs. She unwrapped a caramel and popped it into her mouth. She set her latest read on her lap and turned to where she left off.

She barely read a few lines when her mobile rang. "Hello?"

"Hermione!" Ron yelled over the line.

She stifled a laugh. Ron still had a little difficulty using his mobile phone, but she appreciated the effort. "Hey, Ron."

"Are you okay?" He lowered his voice. "I came by your office today, but Mrs. Fawley told me you had left early. Can I come over? Bring something to eat?"

She set her book aside. "I'd love that. Bring whatever you'd like."

"Brilliant. I'll be there in a bit." He hung up.

She pushed her blanket aside and walked to her bathroom, wanting to make sure she didn't look as horrible as she felt. She didn't want to worry Ron.

After pulling her hair into a braid, she walked into her little kitchen to see what kind of drinks and snacks she had.

The distinctive pop of apparition echoed in the main sitting room. "I brought Chinese Take-Out. Is that okay?" Ron called out.

She stifled a moan. "That sounds delicious!" She grabbed two bottles of orange soda and joined him at her coffee table, where he had already begun unloading the food.

They settled on the floor and she immediately dug into her lo mein chicken.

"Any news from Harry and Neville?" She said through chewed food.

Ron's fork paused mid-way to his mouth. "Nothing yet."

"He told me he'd be back in a week. It's been a week."

Ron poked at his food. "I think that was just Harry's wishful thinking. Self-imposed deadline and all that."

She hummed under her breath. "I'm getting worried."

"All I can tell you is he and Neville are fine."

Hermione pushed her food around. Why would Harry put himself under that kind of pressure? She stared at the noodles wrapped around her fork. She just wanted him home and safe.

"It's been a while since we've had a chance to chat," Hermione told him, "how did your dates with Jenna go?"

Ron's cheeks flushed. "The coffee date went really well."

"Oh?" She cooed.

He visibly gulped. "We went out to dinner later that week."

"Where did you guys go?"

"A little place around the corner from the entrance to Diagon Alley. I'm sure you'd like it. We should go when Harry gets back. It's run by a muggle-born couple."

She straightened up. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "So, we ate and I took her home…"

"And?" Hermione squeaked.

"We kissed," he muttered.

Hermione squealed, reached out and slapped him on the arm. "Ron!"

His face was fully flushed, but he was grinning. "She invited me to go to the movies last week."

"How did that go?"

"It went surprisingly well. I didn't fumble with the muggle money and after the movie, we went to a park and walked around. She's great, Hermione."

Her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. "That's wonderful, Ron."

"So," he stuffed some food into his mouth and mumbled, "what about you?"

"What about me?"

He swallowed. "You know, are you interested in anyone? It's been a year since you swore off dating blokes."

She stared ahead. "It has been, hasn't it?" She stretched her legs out in front of her. "I'm not interested in anyone at the moment," she answered truthfully.

She figured, love will come when it was time, but once it will she'll be a mother. She held back a sigh. Not that she was clambering to attach herself to someone, but it was hard dating when she was childless, how hard is it going to be when she has a baby?