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CHAPTER SEVEN
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title: No Take Backs
rating: PG13
keywords: Harry/Hermione
category: romance, angst
summary: when harry and hermione finnaly make that connection, what harry gets is more than he bargained for.
a/n: this chap wasn't as ba as the last one. this chap gives everyone the answers that they'vee been asking about from the other chaps. it's pretty good. and...yeah. READ AND REVIEW! (if you review, i have more reviews and more people notice the story).
disclaimer: i don't understand! puts head in hadns and cries
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The cool tile floor was a comfort for Hermione as she layed her head on the side of the bath tub. She had one hand layed over her stomach and the other clutched the side of the toilet. This morning had been one of the worst cases of morning sickness she had ever had. It had woken her from a dreamless sleep and brought her running to the bathroom faster than any other case had. Even now as she was done throwing up, she still felt an uneasiness in her stomach.
It had been two weeks from the time that they had brought Harry home from the Dursleys. He was fine now, but the blackout spells had been terrible on her nerves. And the scariest thing for her was how Harry talked about waking up and seeing angels. She didn't think that he was that close to death.
Another wave of nausea hit her and she began throwing up again. She clutched at her stomach in complete agony, the nausea making her wish for death. She heard the door click open and saw Harry step through. He sat down next to her on the floor and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head aginst him and closed her eyes.
"I'll be so glad to have this kid out of me," Hermione said as she layed a hand aross her stomach again. Harry reached a hand over to covers hers.
"I can imagine. But I do have to say that you -are- cute when you're pregnant."
Harry kissed her temple and rested his head on top of hers. They sat on the bathroom floor like that with the door ajar until Hermione's nausea had subsided for the day. They heard Michelle and Jeremy's door open and padded feet come out. It was Jeremy. He looked in the door at the two of them sitting on the floor and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's too early," he muttered as he walked downstairs.
Harry laughed and stood. He helped Hermione to stand. After cleaning up and the both of them brushing their teeth, they walked out of the bathroom and back into their bedroom. Hermione began getting dressed for the day. She was pulling her shirt over her head when a thought struck her.
"Harry, we need to go shopping today."
"What for?"
"I need to buy some more clothes. These are beginning to get tight on me."
Harry threw on a pair of pants and a blue shirt. He buttoned up the shirt and put his glasses on. He ran a hand through his hair and looked in the mirror. For a second he touched his scar, and then turned around to look at Hermione.
"Well we'll go shopping, then."
Hermione smiled and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed his neck. He pulled her mouth up and kissed it tenderly. He nudged her neck with his nose, planting seductive kisses along the muscle there.
"If you keep that up, we won't make it out of the house."
"Oh, don't tempt me. You know I'll keep it up."
Harry began to kiss her neck again, and she shoved him back with a little force. She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. Harry pouted his bottom lips and tried to look sad. Hermione saw through this and became more stern.
"We are going shopping today. There will not be -any- sex until we get home. And -no- snogging in the dressing rooms."
"But-"
"I mean it, Harry!"
Harry smiled and walked back up to her. He bent down and gave her one last kiss before walking out the door. Hermione smiled and finished getting ready before joining him downstairs in the kitchen.
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Hermione and Harry found the streets of London to be quite intersting. Instead of going to Diagon Alley, they had decided to go shopping for muggle clothing. In Hermione's present condition the clothes would just be more comfortable. They had gone in several stores already and nothing had struck her as appealing.
"I'm hungry. Can we stop soon for something to eat?" Hermione rubbed her stomach.
"Sure. What are you hungry for?"
"I don't- Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry stopped in the middle of the street and looked ahead of them. His face had gone a pale shade of white and he clenched his fists tightly at his side. He narrowed his eyes, and Hermione could see red flash in front of them. She looked in front of them and saw it.
"Harry, leave him alone." Hermione touched his arm. "Harry?"
"That bastard," Harry muttered and started to walk down the street, but Hermione grabbed his arm tightly. He looked back at her pleading eyes and stopped walking. He sighed heavily.
"You've already left your mark on him, Harry. You can still see the scars from that."
Hermione was right. Harry looked up at Dudley and saw all of the scratch marks that he had left on him from their fight. A smile curled on Harry's face. He chuckled lightly and brought Hermione's hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
"You're right. Let's go in here," Harry said, pointing to a shop in front of them. "It looks promising."
Hermione nodded and they walked into the clothing store. Immediately Hermione went back and started looking at anything green. It was her favorite color. She held something up to Harry and he nodded, telling her to go try it on. She entered the dressing room with that and a few other things.
Harry walked over and looked at the guys' clothes. He was browsing through a rack when a familiar voice spoke.
"Well if it isn't Potter."
Harry turned around to see the blonde-haired, black clothed Malfoy standing behind him. He stood up a little straighter and crossed his arms over his chest, trying his best to look as intimidating as Malfoy. The air between them was silent and full of tension.
"Harry, do you like-" Hermione came out of the dressing room wearing a dark green velvet shirt. It was semi-baggy and showed off the curve of her stomach with great detail. Hermione had noticed this upon putting the shirt on, and Harry did now. She instantly crossed her arms over her stomach, trying to hide it.
"Well, it's the mudblood," Draco said jsut above a whisper, trying his best not to let the muggles near them hear.
"Malfoy," Harry said through clenched teeth. "I warned you about calling her that."
"Oh, why should I stop? It's not like there's much that you can do about it here."
Harry began to get very angry. He could feel the growling feeling beginning in his throat before even hearing it. Upon this he flashed silver eyes at Hermione. She saw this and ushered Harry away to the other side of the store.
Harry was breathing harshly when she pulled him into the corner. She turned to see a very pleased looking Malfoy leave the store.
"Harry, why do you do that?"
"He makes me angry. I can't help it that I feel the need to beat the-"
"No, I mean why do your eyes do that?"
"Do what?"
"They turn silver when you get angry."
"Oh," Harry looked at the ground and tried to think of an explanation. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Harry's eyes darted around to the muggles standing in the store with them. Hermione nodded and walked back into the dressing room to change back into her clothes.
They left and crossed the street to a small sidewalk cafe. They sat at one of the tables and ordered drinks and something to eat. After a long silence, Harry spoke.
"Did I ever tell you what my animagus form was?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so."
"I'm a wolf," he said. Hermione took in a sharp breath. "No, I'm not a werewolf. They can't control the changes or the actions that happen to themselves. I can. Well, partially."
"You're saying that you can't control yourself when you get angry."
"Yes, that's exactly it. And I can't change into my animagus form fully on cue yet. I'm going to try and work that out with Victor next lesson."
"He hasn't owled you lately."
"No, he hasn't," Harry said as their orders arrived. The waiter collected their money and left. "I'm, going to owl him tonight."
"Why do you think your eyes flash silver? And they also flash red. Why is that?"
Harry thought about this for a moment. He rested his chin on his hand until coming up with an answer.
"I'm not sure this is right, but I think they only flash silver when it involves you."
Hermione smiled and took a drink of her water.
"And I can feel a burning when they flash red. I would assume that's the difference."
Hermione nodded and took a bite of her sandwich. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. He looked down at his shirt. "Do I have anything on my shirt?"
Hermione laughed. "No, I was just looking. I am allowed to do that, you know."
Harry quirked an eyebrow. "I know this is going to sound really weird since it's been a while sine then, but did you ever figure out why your nails were purple that one day? You know, after potions?"
"Yeah, McGonagall explained to me later on that potions and things react differently to a pregnant witch than they would on a normal person."
Harry nodded. Hermione finished the last of her food and stretched her arms above her head. She looked at the watch on her wrist.
"We only have a few hours left. Let's go look around some more. Just think, in a few months, walking will be something that I will have taken for granted."
Harry laughed and stood to help her up. She was halfway out of her seat when she stopped. Harry looked at her quizzically.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It kicked."
"What kicked?"
"The baby."
"Oh, is that- it kicked?!"
Harry reached down and touched her stomach lightly. Almsot as if on cue, a tiny spot of pressure reacted to his hand. He smiled and laughed happily. Hermione reached up and kissed his cheek tenderly.
"Just think. In a few months, this baby will be out of there and in our arms," Hermione said as they began to walk down the street.
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The warmth of the bed was welcoming to Harry as he laid down in it. He threw the covers over his pajama-bottom clad body and rolled onto his stomach. He wrapped his arms around his pillow and sucked in a long, deep breath. It had been a long shopping day. Hermione had gotten her new clothes, and Harry had gotten the satisfaction of knowing that he wouldn't have to go back shopping for a while.
The bedroom door opened and Hermione slipped in. She walked over to the bed and shed her clothes. Wearing nothing more than a baggy t-shirt, she crawled next to Harry in the bed. She lay there for several minutes before reaching over and touching Harry's bare back.
He lifted his head and looked at her. She messy hair flung into his eyes and she reached up to brush it away from his forehead. She trailed her finger from his forehead to his bottom lip. She leaned down and stole a quick kiss form his lips.
"Not tonight, Mione. I'm too tired." Harry layed his head back down on the pillow, but he faced her.
Hermione pouted, but Harry shook his head.
"Why not? I'm tired to, but I want some," Hermione reached over and kissed his shoulder. He smiled, but shook his head again.
"Am I just -not- that appealing anymore to you?" Hermione sat up in bed and turned her head from him.
Harry sighed and sat up with her. "I didn't say that. I'm just really tired. Can't we wait until in the morning?"
"No, that's fine. If you don't want to sleep with me, then I can accept that," Hermione said as she got up and put on a robe.
"Mione, what's wrong with you tonight?"
"Oh, so you -admit- that there's something wrong with me?" Harry could see Hermione's eyes glaze over in the moonlight. He stood up and walked over to her. He reached out to touch ehr arm, but she jerked back from him.
"Mione?"
"Harry, I don't think that I can deal with you right now. Please leave."
"Are you serious?"
Hermione looked at him with venom in her eyes. Shocked, he ran a shaky hand through his hair and turned to walk out the door. Hermione's voice stopped him.
"Harry?" she called.
He turned around and looked at her. "Yeah?"
"You forgot your shirt."
"Oh, right." Harry got his shirt and walked out of the room, the door clicking softly behind him.
The next morning was hell. Harry walked downstairs to the kitchen. Upon walking in, Hermione stuck her head out from behind the paper and frowned. She stood up and brushed past him, not saying a word. Jeremy looked at him, wondering what was wrong. Harry shook his head and turned to follow Hermione.
He found her in the living room flipping through the channels. He sat down next to her on the couch and said nothing for a few mintues.
"Can't you just give me five minutes to myself?" she asked harshly.
"I gave you an entire night by yourself last night."
"Yes, I know. The bed was kind of comfortable without you in it. Maybe we should start a trend of that."
Harry turned and dropped his jaw at that statement. He didn't expect those words to come out of Hermione's mouth. And it was a very crushing blow. But he couldn't let her know that. He had to keep up his defense.
"If you say so. After all, the guest room -is- quite nice. I don't think it would be such a loss."
"Well, now that we've got that settled." Hermione turned back to the television. She stopped on a football game, but changed it when she saw that it was Harry's favorite team. She got enjoyment out of seeing Harry's anger. But it was also strange.
"Why are you being such a bitch today, Hermione?" Harry said angrily. He smiled when he saw Hermione's jaw drop at the harsh language.
"What did you call me?"
"You heard me. I called you a bitch. And don't ask me to repeat it."
Hermione stood up and launched the remote to the television at his chest. It hit him directly and dropped to the floor. Harry rubbed the spot and stood up as well.
"I want you out. Now."
Harry raised his eyebrows and then shrugged his shoulders. "That's not a problem," he said as he walked to the front foyer. He paused and turned around to Hermione. With a grin on his face he opened the door and turned to face her.
"If and when you decide to stop being so selfish, you should know where to find me." With that, he walked outside, slamming the door behind him, rattling the windows, and leaving Hermione to shatter on the floor.
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Three days had passed since the fight. Three days without them together. Neither had heard a word from the other. And neither one of them was willing to let their guard down.
Harry had left the hosue and gone to the Burrow. The Weasley's had accepted him wihtout question, and he was thankful for that. He stayed in Ron's room surrounded by quidditch and magic items of all sorts. This sometimes took his mind off of Hermione. But it was only a temporary thing.
Hermione on the other hand was still mad about what he had said. It was very unlike Harry to say something of that nature to her. But she had to agree that their fight was her fault. She had driven him away. But she didn't want to admit that and be the one that was wrong. She hated being wrong.
Harry looked up as Ron walked into the room carrying two plates of food. Harry smiled at the delicious smell. It had been several hours since breakfast, and he was beginning to get hungry again.
Ron sat the plate down in front of Harry and then crawled on the bed to eat his own. He took a few bites and then looked up at Harry.
"So why don't you tell me why you're really here," Ron said.
Harry looked up at Ron sadly. He hadn't wanted to talk about this with him. Ron didn't even know that Harry was staying with Hermione. How could he go about explaining his presence without telling Ron the whole story? A brilliant idea came to Harry's mind and he spoke.
"I got kicked out of the Dursleys," he said. Well, he
-did- get kiked out. That was no lie.
"But that's not the whole story. Harry, why are you afraid to talk to me?"
Harry hung his head searching for an answer to that question. But after several minutes of thinking, Harry realized taht he had no answer to the question.
"Talk to me, Harry," Ron said.
Harry took a deep breath and spoke," If I tell you anything, then it doesn't go beyond this room. And I'm serious, Ron." Ron nodded his head and waited for the story.
"I'm here because Hermione kicked me out," Harry said.
"Hermione?"
"Yes. I'm staying with her because I got kicked out of the Dursleys."
"Why did you get kicked out of the Dursleys?"
"I'll tell you, but this is the part that doesn't go anywhere. She'll probably kill me the next time I see her."
"Tell me anyway."
"Alright." Harry paused and looked Ron straight in the eyes. "I got kicked out of the Dursleys because Vernon found out that Hermione is pregnant."
Ron's jaw dropped and his eyes became wide. He leaned forward and grabbed Harry's shoulder tightly. "She's pregnant?" he said in a harsh whisper.
"Yes," Harry said in a barely audible voice.
"How could you let this happen?"
"We never meant for it to happen! I was there and she was there and it just did. That's all there is to it. And I have to accept it. We all do."
Ron let go of Harry's shoulder and hung his head. He ran a hand through his hair and sat back up striaght. "What did her parents say?"
"Her mom didn't seem to upset about it when I first saw her. I had a nice long talk with Hermione's dad, though."
"What happened?"
"We walked down Diagon Alley for a while. He talked to me about Hermione for a while. He said that he was upset about what had happened, but that since she loved me so much, he'd have to come off of all of it."
"Well that's better than getting the hell beat out of you."
"Oh, that came later. But not by any of the Grangers. It came from Dudley when I went back to the Dursleys to collect the last of my forgotten things. We had a good row and he gave me a concussion and some bad bruises. The bastard knocked me in the shoulder with a golf club."
"That's not good. Now tell me why Hermione kicked you out."
Harry's cheeks turned a bit red and he looked out the window, avoiding Ron's eyes. "We had a long shopping day and all I wanted to do was sleep that night," Harry stopped when Ron began to laugh. "We got into it the next morning, I told her to quit being a selfish bitch, and she kicked me out."
Ron fell laughing onto the floor.
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"Hermione, honey, why don't you come out of there?" Michelle stood on the other side of Hermione's closed bedroom door. She spoke to the door as if she were speaking to her daughter. But the door seemed to provide more of a response.
It had been three days since Harry had left. Three days since Michelle had walked in the front foyer to find Hermione crying on the floor. Three days since the last time Michelle had heard her daughter speak.
"Hermione," Michelle tried again. "Come out of there and talk to me. I'm your mother."
Michelle sighed and began to walk away when the door swung open revealing a very disheveled and tired looking Hermione. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was pale. Her hair hung in long clumps that were tangled and framed her face unflatteringly. She half smiled and stepped out of the way to let her mother in the room, shutting the door afterwards.
Hermione went and sat back down on her unmade bed and Michelle pulled up a chair.
"Baby, you can't keep going on like this. I don't know what happened, but I think you two need to put your argument aside and come back to each other. You know that this isn't healthy for you -or- the baby."
Hermione bit her bottom lip and spoke, "I should just tell him I'm sorry, but I don't know that I can find the words when the time comes."
"It doesn't matter if you can find the words or not. You two have a connection and I think he'll know what you're trying to say even if the words don't come out."
Hermione looked over at the picture of him that she had set up on her nightstand. It was a wizard photo of Harry sitting in the living room watching football. He jumped up and di his happy dance and sat back down, the photo repeating itself every few seconds. Michelle went and picked the picture up, studying it closely. She turned it to face Hermione.
"You see this?" hermione nodded and Michelle contnued, "You know you miss this. So suck it up and go apologize."
Hermione looked out the window, her eyes welling up with the tears that she had become so accustomed to in the past days.
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Harry sat on a bench in the park, his thoughts comsuming him. He had gotten a letter back from Victor that morning and had just gotten back from his longest animagus training session ever. He had finally learned to control his animagus form to the full extent, but it had taken hours to do. Harry had asked about why his eyes did what they did, and it had turned out that he was right. His eyes turned silver when something involved Hermione. After having leaner that, Victor had made him sign registration forms and had sent him on his way.
That brought Harry to the park across the street. He was supposed to meet Hermione there at noon. It was ten til and his nervousness grew with every second. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to act.
Harry snapped his head up at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was her. She was walking slowly and surely, her brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She wore a blue dress that accented her stomach, which Harry thought wasn't a good idea because anyone could see her. She sat down next to him on the bench and turned to face him.
"I'm glad you came. I really need to talk to you," she said.
"I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see you."
She smiled and took in the view of the park. A breeze blew hair hair out behind her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel for a few minutes. "I want to apologize to you."
"You have no reason to apologize. I do, though. I shouldn't have said what I did."
"No, you had good reason. And you were right. I was a selfish bitch."
"No, you just wanted love, and I was selfish not to give it to you."
"Harry, I wanted sex. There's a difference between love and sex. At least there was when I asked for it. My hormonoes were going crazy on me. It's all becuase of this pregnancy."
Harry reached over and played with a long lock of her hair. Even something so simple could make her smile.
"Why do we fight like this? It's so stupid," Harry said.
"Yes, it is. And I want you to come home."
Hermione scooted closer to Harry on the bench, reaching up to place a soft hand on his cheek. He drew in a breath and turned his face to kiss her palm. He covered his hand over hers and smiled.
"I want to come home."
Harry leaned down and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her against him. Harry smiled at the feel of a small kick coming from Hermione's stomach into his. He pulled back and reached a hand out to touch her stomach.
"I think the little one approves," he said happily.
"Yeah, it does."
"Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
Hermione layed her head on Harry's chest, happy to be back in his arms. She closed her eyes and relaxed fully, letting Harry's essence engulf her.
"Ron knows about the baby."
Hermione sat up and turned to face him. Her face showed no change from the utter relaxation she felt. Harry waited for the crushing blow to come and spoil their moment.
"Oh? Does he? It's no matter. As long as he's the only one. I think it's better that he knows anyway."
Harry heaved a sigh of relief and pulled Hermione back to his chest.
"It's such a beautiful day," she murmered.
"Yeah, it is. Let's just sit out here and enjoy it."
Hermione nodded and let the feel of the wind and the feel of love be the thing that relaxed her into a gentle afternoon sleep.
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a/n: so tell me what you think. i have a buddy section on my AIM list devoted to fanfic people. message me and be one of those few. i love to talk! RVIEW ME!
CHAPTER SEVEN
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title: No Take Backs
rating: PG13
keywords: Harry/Hermione
category: romance, angst
summary: when harry and hermione finnaly make that connection, what harry gets is more than he bargained for.
a/n: this chap wasn't as ba as the last one. this chap gives everyone the answers that they'vee been asking about from the other chaps. it's pretty good. and...yeah. READ AND REVIEW! (if you review, i have more reviews and more people notice the story).
disclaimer: i don't understand! puts head in hadns and cries
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The cool tile floor was a comfort for Hermione as she layed her head on the side of the bath tub. She had one hand layed over her stomach and the other clutched the side of the toilet. This morning had been one of the worst cases of morning sickness she had ever had. It had woken her from a dreamless sleep and brought her running to the bathroom faster than any other case had. Even now as she was done throwing up, she still felt an uneasiness in her stomach.
It had been two weeks from the time that they had brought Harry home from the Dursleys. He was fine now, but the blackout spells had been terrible on her nerves. And the scariest thing for her was how Harry talked about waking up and seeing angels. She didn't think that he was that close to death.
Another wave of nausea hit her and she began throwing up again. She clutched at her stomach in complete agony, the nausea making her wish for death. She heard the door click open and saw Harry step through. He sat down next to her on the floor and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head aginst him and closed her eyes.
"I'll be so glad to have this kid out of me," Hermione said as she layed a hand aross her stomach again. Harry reached a hand over to covers hers.
"I can imagine. But I do have to say that you -are- cute when you're pregnant."
Harry kissed her temple and rested his head on top of hers. They sat on the bathroom floor like that with the door ajar until Hermione's nausea had subsided for the day. They heard Michelle and Jeremy's door open and padded feet come out. It was Jeremy. He looked in the door at the two of them sitting on the floor and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's too early," he muttered as he walked downstairs.
Harry laughed and stood. He helped Hermione to stand. After cleaning up and the both of them brushing their teeth, they walked out of the bathroom and back into their bedroom. Hermione began getting dressed for the day. She was pulling her shirt over her head when a thought struck her.
"Harry, we need to go shopping today."
"What for?"
"I need to buy some more clothes. These are beginning to get tight on me."
Harry threw on a pair of pants and a blue shirt. He buttoned up the shirt and put his glasses on. He ran a hand through his hair and looked in the mirror. For a second he touched his scar, and then turned around to look at Hermione.
"Well we'll go shopping, then."
Hermione smiled and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed his neck. He pulled her mouth up and kissed it tenderly. He nudged her neck with his nose, planting seductive kisses along the muscle there.
"If you keep that up, we won't make it out of the house."
"Oh, don't tempt me. You know I'll keep it up."
Harry began to kiss her neck again, and she shoved him back with a little force. She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. Harry pouted his bottom lips and tried to look sad. Hermione saw through this and became more stern.
"We are going shopping today. There will not be -any- sex until we get home. And -no- snogging in the dressing rooms."
"But-"
"I mean it, Harry!"
Harry smiled and walked back up to her. He bent down and gave her one last kiss before walking out the door. Hermione smiled and finished getting ready before joining him downstairs in the kitchen.
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Hermione and Harry found the streets of London to be quite intersting. Instead of going to Diagon Alley, they had decided to go shopping for muggle clothing. In Hermione's present condition the clothes would just be more comfortable. They had gone in several stores already and nothing had struck her as appealing.
"I'm hungry. Can we stop soon for something to eat?" Hermione rubbed her stomach.
"Sure. What are you hungry for?"
"I don't- Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry stopped in the middle of the street and looked ahead of them. His face had gone a pale shade of white and he clenched his fists tightly at his side. He narrowed his eyes, and Hermione could see red flash in front of them. She looked in front of them and saw it.
"Harry, leave him alone." Hermione touched his arm. "Harry?"
"That bastard," Harry muttered and started to walk down the street, but Hermione grabbed his arm tightly. He looked back at her pleading eyes and stopped walking. He sighed heavily.
"You've already left your mark on him, Harry. You can still see the scars from that."
Hermione was right. Harry looked up at Dudley and saw all of the scratch marks that he had left on him from their fight. A smile curled on Harry's face. He chuckled lightly and brought Hermione's hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
"You're right. Let's go in here," Harry said, pointing to a shop in front of them. "It looks promising."
Hermione nodded and they walked into the clothing store. Immediately Hermione went back and started looking at anything green. It was her favorite color. She held something up to Harry and he nodded, telling her to go try it on. She entered the dressing room with that and a few other things.
Harry walked over and looked at the guys' clothes. He was browsing through a rack when a familiar voice spoke.
"Well if it isn't Potter."
Harry turned around to see the blonde-haired, black clothed Malfoy standing behind him. He stood up a little straighter and crossed his arms over his chest, trying his best to look as intimidating as Malfoy. The air between them was silent and full of tension.
"Harry, do you like-" Hermione came out of the dressing room wearing a dark green velvet shirt. It was semi-baggy and showed off the curve of her stomach with great detail. Hermione had noticed this upon putting the shirt on, and Harry did now. She instantly crossed her arms over her stomach, trying to hide it.
"Well, it's the mudblood," Draco said jsut above a whisper, trying his best not to let the muggles near them hear.
"Malfoy," Harry said through clenched teeth. "I warned you about calling her that."
"Oh, why should I stop? It's not like there's much that you can do about it here."
Harry began to get very angry. He could feel the growling feeling beginning in his throat before even hearing it. Upon this he flashed silver eyes at Hermione. She saw this and ushered Harry away to the other side of the store.
Harry was breathing harshly when she pulled him into the corner. She turned to see a very pleased looking Malfoy leave the store.
"Harry, why do you do that?"
"He makes me angry. I can't help it that I feel the need to beat the-"
"No, I mean why do your eyes do that?"
"Do what?"
"They turn silver when you get angry."
"Oh," Harry looked at the ground and tried to think of an explanation. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Harry's eyes darted around to the muggles standing in the store with them. Hermione nodded and walked back into the dressing room to change back into her clothes.
They left and crossed the street to a small sidewalk cafe. They sat at one of the tables and ordered drinks and something to eat. After a long silence, Harry spoke.
"Did I ever tell you what my animagus form was?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so."
"I'm a wolf," he said. Hermione took in a sharp breath. "No, I'm not a werewolf. They can't control the changes or the actions that happen to themselves. I can. Well, partially."
"You're saying that you can't control yourself when you get angry."
"Yes, that's exactly it. And I can't change into my animagus form fully on cue yet. I'm going to try and work that out with Victor next lesson."
"He hasn't owled you lately."
"No, he hasn't," Harry said as their orders arrived. The waiter collected their money and left. "I'm, going to owl him tonight."
"Why do you think your eyes flash silver? And they also flash red. Why is that?"
Harry thought about this for a moment. He rested his chin on his hand until coming up with an answer.
"I'm not sure this is right, but I think they only flash silver when it involves you."
Hermione smiled and took a drink of her water.
"And I can feel a burning when they flash red. I would assume that's the difference."
Hermione nodded and took a bite of her sandwich. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. He looked down at his shirt. "Do I have anything on my shirt?"
Hermione laughed. "No, I was just looking. I am allowed to do that, you know."
Harry quirked an eyebrow. "I know this is going to sound really weird since it's been a while sine then, but did you ever figure out why your nails were purple that one day? You know, after potions?"
"Yeah, McGonagall explained to me later on that potions and things react differently to a pregnant witch than they would on a normal person."
Harry nodded. Hermione finished the last of her food and stretched her arms above her head. She looked at the watch on her wrist.
"We only have a few hours left. Let's go look around some more. Just think, in a few months, walking will be something that I will have taken for granted."
Harry laughed and stood to help her up. She was halfway out of her seat when she stopped. Harry looked at her quizzically.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It kicked."
"What kicked?"
"The baby."
"Oh, is that- it kicked?!"
Harry reached down and touched her stomach lightly. Almsot as if on cue, a tiny spot of pressure reacted to his hand. He smiled and laughed happily. Hermione reached up and kissed his cheek tenderly.
"Just think. In a few months, this baby will be out of there and in our arms," Hermione said as they began to walk down the street.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The warmth of the bed was welcoming to Harry as he laid down in it. He threw the covers over his pajama-bottom clad body and rolled onto his stomach. He wrapped his arms around his pillow and sucked in a long, deep breath. It had been a long shopping day. Hermione had gotten her new clothes, and Harry had gotten the satisfaction of knowing that he wouldn't have to go back shopping for a while.
The bedroom door opened and Hermione slipped in. She walked over to the bed and shed her clothes. Wearing nothing more than a baggy t-shirt, she crawled next to Harry in the bed. She lay there for several minutes before reaching over and touching Harry's bare back.
He lifted his head and looked at her. She messy hair flung into his eyes and she reached up to brush it away from his forehead. She trailed her finger from his forehead to his bottom lip. She leaned down and stole a quick kiss form his lips.
"Not tonight, Mione. I'm too tired." Harry layed his head back down on the pillow, but he faced her.
Hermione pouted, but Harry shook his head.
"Why not? I'm tired to, but I want some," Hermione reached over and kissed his shoulder. He smiled, but shook his head again.
"Am I just -not- that appealing anymore to you?" Hermione sat up in bed and turned her head from him.
Harry sighed and sat up with her. "I didn't say that. I'm just really tired. Can't we wait until in the morning?"
"No, that's fine. If you don't want to sleep with me, then I can accept that," Hermione said as she got up and put on a robe.
"Mione, what's wrong with you tonight?"
"Oh, so you -admit- that there's something wrong with me?" Harry could see Hermione's eyes glaze over in the moonlight. He stood up and walked over to her. He reached out to touch ehr arm, but she jerked back from him.
"Mione?"
"Harry, I don't think that I can deal with you right now. Please leave."
"Are you serious?"
Hermione looked at him with venom in her eyes. Shocked, he ran a shaky hand through his hair and turned to walk out the door. Hermione's voice stopped him.
"Harry?" she called.
He turned around and looked at her. "Yeah?"
"You forgot your shirt."
"Oh, right." Harry got his shirt and walked out of the room, the door clicking softly behind him.
The next morning was hell. Harry walked downstairs to the kitchen. Upon walking in, Hermione stuck her head out from behind the paper and frowned. She stood up and brushed past him, not saying a word. Jeremy looked at him, wondering what was wrong. Harry shook his head and turned to follow Hermione.
He found her in the living room flipping through the channels. He sat down next to her on the couch and said nothing for a few mintues.
"Can't you just give me five minutes to myself?" she asked harshly.
"I gave you an entire night by yourself last night."
"Yes, I know. The bed was kind of comfortable without you in it. Maybe we should start a trend of that."
Harry turned and dropped his jaw at that statement. He didn't expect those words to come out of Hermione's mouth. And it was a very crushing blow. But he couldn't let her know that. He had to keep up his defense.
"If you say so. After all, the guest room -is- quite nice. I don't think it would be such a loss."
"Well, now that we've got that settled." Hermione turned back to the television. She stopped on a football game, but changed it when she saw that it was Harry's favorite team. She got enjoyment out of seeing Harry's anger. But it was also strange.
"Why are you being such a bitch today, Hermione?" Harry said angrily. He smiled when he saw Hermione's jaw drop at the harsh language.
"What did you call me?"
"You heard me. I called you a bitch. And don't ask me to repeat it."
Hermione stood up and launched the remote to the television at his chest. It hit him directly and dropped to the floor. Harry rubbed the spot and stood up as well.
"I want you out. Now."
Harry raised his eyebrows and then shrugged his shoulders. "That's not a problem," he said as he walked to the front foyer. He paused and turned around to Hermione. With a grin on his face he opened the door and turned to face her.
"If and when you decide to stop being so selfish, you should know where to find me." With that, he walked outside, slamming the door behind him, rattling the windows, and leaving Hermione to shatter on the floor.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Three days had passed since the fight. Three days without them together. Neither had heard a word from the other. And neither one of them was willing to let their guard down.
Harry had left the hosue and gone to the Burrow. The Weasley's had accepted him wihtout question, and he was thankful for that. He stayed in Ron's room surrounded by quidditch and magic items of all sorts. This sometimes took his mind off of Hermione. But it was only a temporary thing.
Hermione on the other hand was still mad about what he had said. It was very unlike Harry to say something of that nature to her. But she had to agree that their fight was her fault. She had driven him away. But she didn't want to admit that and be the one that was wrong. She hated being wrong.
Harry looked up as Ron walked into the room carrying two plates of food. Harry smiled at the delicious smell. It had been several hours since breakfast, and he was beginning to get hungry again.
Ron sat the plate down in front of Harry and then crawled on the bed to eat his own. He took a few bites and then looked up at Harry.
"So why don't you tell me why you're really here," Ron said.
Harry looked up at Ron sadly. He hadn't wanted to talk about this with him. Ron didn't even know that Harry was staying with Hermione. How could he go about explaining his presence without telling Ron the whole story? A brilliant idea came to Harry's mind and he spoke.
"I got kicked out of the Dursleys," he said. Well, he
-did- get kiked out. That was no lie.
"But that's not the whole story. Harry, why are you afraid to talk to me?"
Harry hung his head searching for an answer to that question. But after several minutes of thinking, Harry realized taht he had no answer to the question.
"Talk to me, Harry," Ron said.
Harry took a deep breath and spoke," If I tell you anything, then it doesn't go beyond this room. And I'm serious, Ron." Ron nodded his head and waited for the story.
"I'm here because Hermione kicked me out," Harry said.
"Hermione?"
"Yes. I'm staying with her because I got kicked out of the Dursleys."
"Why did you get kicked out of the Dursleys?"
"I'll tell you, but this is the part that doesn't go anywhere. She'll probably kill me the next time I see her."
"Tell me anyway."
"Alright." Harry paused and looked Ron straight in the eyes. "I got kicked out of the Dursleys because Vernon found out that Hermione is pregnant."
Ron's jaw dropped and his eyes became wide. He leaned forward and grabbed Harry's shoulder tightly. "She's pregnant?" he said in a harsh whisper.
"Yes," Harry said in a barely audible voice.
"How could you let this happen?"
"We never meant for it to happen! I was there and she was there and it just did. That's all there is to it. And I have to accept it. We all do."
Ron let go of Harry's shoulder and hung his head. He ran a hand through his hair and sat back up striaght. "What did her parents say?"
"Her mom didn't seem to upset about it when I first saw her. I had a nice long talk with Hermione's dad, though."
"What happened?"
"We walked down Diagon Alley for a while. He talked to me about Hermione for a while. He said that he was upset about what had happened, but that since she loved me so much, he'd have to come off of all of it."
"Well that's better than getting the hell beat out of you."
"Oh, that came later. But not by any of the Grangers. It came from Dudley when I went back to the Dursleys to collect the last of my forgotten things. We had a good row and he gave me a concussion and some bad bruises. The bastard knocked me in the shoulder with a golf club."
"That's not good. Now tell me why Hermione kicked you out."
Harry's cheeks turned a bit red and he looked out the window, avoiding Ron's eyes. "We had a long shopping day and all I wanted to do was sleep that night," Harry stopped when Ron began to laugh. "We got into it the next morning, I told her to quit being a selfish bitch, and she kicked me out."
Ron fell laughing onto the floor.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Hermione, honey, why don't you come out of there?" Michelle stood on the other side of Hermione's closed bedroom door. She spoke to the door as if she were speaking to her daughter. But the door seemed to provide more of a response.
It had been three days since Harry had left. Three days since Michelle had walked in the front foyer to find Hermione crying on the floor. Three days since the last time Michelle had heard her daughter speak.
"Hermione," Michelle tried again. "Come out of there and talk to me. I'm your mother."
Michelle sighed and began to walk away when the door swung open revealing a very disheveled and tired looking Hermione. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was pale. Her hair hung in long clumps that were tangled and framed her face unflatteringly. She half smiled and stepped out of the way to let her mother in the room, shutting the door afterwards.
Hermione went and sat back down on her unmade bed and Michelle pulled up a chair.
"Baby, you can't keep going on like this. I don't know what happened, but I think you two need to put your argument aside and come back to each other. You know that this isn't healthy for you -or- the baby."
Hermione bit her bottom lip and spoke, "I should just tell him I'm sorry, but I don't know that I can find the words when the time comes."
"It doesn't matter if you can find the words or not. You two have a connection and I think he'll know what you're trying to say even if the words don't come out."
Hermione looked over at the picture of him that she had set up on her nightstand. It was a wizard photo of Harry sitting in the living room watching football. He jumped up and di his happy dance and sat back down, the photo repeating itself every few seconds. Michelle went and picked the picture up, studying it closely. She turned it to face Hermione.
"You see this?" hermione nodded and Michelle contnued, "You know you miss this. So suck it up and go apologize."
Hermione looked out the window, her eyes welling up with the tears that she had become so accustomed to in the past days.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Harry sat on a bench in the park, his thoughts comsuming him. He had gotten a letter back from Victor that morning and had just gotten back from his longest animagus training session ever. He had finally learned to control his animagus form to the full extent, but it had taken hours to do. Harry had asked about why his eyes did what they did, and it had turned out that he was right. His eyes turned silver when something involved Hermione. After having leaner that, Victor had made him sign registration forms and had sent him on his way.
That brought Harry to the park across the street. He was supposed to meet Hermione there at noon. It was ten til and his nervousness grew with every second. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to act.
Harry snapped his head up at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was her. She was walking slowly and surely, her brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She wore a blue dress that accented her stomach, which Harry thought wasn't a good idea because anyone could see her. She sat down next to him on the bench and turned to face him.
"I'm glad you came. I really need to talk to you," she said.
"I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see you."
She smiled and took in the view of the park. A breeze blew hair hair out behind her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel for a few minutes. "I want to apologize to you."
"You have no reason to apologize. I do, though. I shouldn't have said what I did."
"No, you had good reason. And you were right. I was a selfish bitch."
"No, you just wanted love, and I was selfish not to give it to you."
"Harry, I wanted sex. There's a difference between love and sex. At least there was when I asked for it. My hormonoes were going crazy on me. It's all becuase of this pregnancy."
Harry reached over and played with a long lock of her hair. Even something so simple could make her smile.
"Why do we fight like this? It's so stupid," Harry said.
"Yes, it is. And I want you to come home."
Hermione scooted closer to Harry on the bench, reaching up to place a soft hand on his cheek. He drew in a breath and turned his face to kiss her palm. He covered his hand over hers and smiled.
"I want to come home."
Harry leaned down and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her against him. Harry smiled at the feel of a small kick coming from Hermione's stomach into his. He pulled back and reached a hand out to touch her stomach.
"I think the little one approves," he said happily.
"Yeah, it does."
"Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
Hermione layed her head on Harry's chest, happy to be back in his arms. She closed her eyes and relaxed fully, letting Harry's essence engulf her.
"Ron knows about the baby."
Hermione sat up and turned to face him. Her face showed no change from the utter relaxation she felt. Harry waited for the crushing blow to come and spoil their moment.
"Oh? Does he? It's no matter. As long as he's the only one. I think it's better that he knows anyway."
Harry heaved a sigh of relief and pulled Hermione back to his chest.
"It's such a beautiful day," she murmered.
"Yeah, it is. Let's just sit out here and enjoy it."
Hermione nodded and let the feel of the wind and the feel of love be the thing that relaxed her into a gentle afternoon sleep.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
a/n: so tell me what you think. i have a buddy section on my AIM list devoted to fanfic people. message me and be one of those few. i love to talk! RVIEW ME!