Jellybean

Hermione was sitting on the examination table, swinging her legs while Fred sat in the chair by the table. They were waiting for Healer Melanie to be finished with her previous patient. When Hermione had floo called earlier, the healer immediately made room in her schedule to get Hermione checked out that day.

"I'm nervous." Hermione said into the quiet room.

"Me, too." He admitted.

Hermione turned her head towards him and smiled softly. "It makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one."

He returned her smile, stretching his arm toward her. She reached out and took his hand, swinging it lightly in the space between them.

"I'm glad I don't have to wear one of those paper gowns this time." Hermione laughed. "Those things are simply awful."

Fred snorted. "That might have been entertaining to see."

She scowled at him and threw his hand, making it land in his lap forcefully. "I don't think I want to hold your hand anymore!"

"Aw…" He pouted, but the message didn't come through correctly because he was grinning, making him look like a duck.

Hermione laughed. "What am I going to do with you, Fred Weasley?"

He opened his mouth to retort the same line as he always did, but a knock on the door cut him off.

Hermione's head whipped around. "Come in!"

Healer Melanie entered and shut the door behind her. She turned and was welcomed by two smiling faces.

"Good morning, Hermione! Good to see you!" Healer Melanie said, shaking her hand. "And nice to meet you. I'm Healer Melanie... you must be the daddy?"

Fred shook her hand, smiling and nodding. "Fred Weasley. Pleasure to meet you."

The healer opened Hermione's chart. "Now, Hermione... how many days late are you?"

"Er… I'm not. I was supposed to start tomorrow."

Healer Melanie furrowed her brow. "Then why do you think you're pregnant?"

Hermione looked at Fred, not knowing if it was okay to tell her about Bill. The healer turned to Fred, too, when she saw Hermione's reaction.

"Well… you see… my brother is part werewolf… he doesn't turn or anything, but he does have heightened senses and he heard the heartbeat." Fred explained.

"I see." Healer Melanie said as she wrote something in the chart. "That must have been quite a surprise for you when he mentioned it."

Hermione laughed. "Quite."

"Hermione, when did your last period start?"

"The twelfth of September." Hermione answered.

Healer Melanie wrote something down in her chart. "So… that'll make your due date…" she started as she calculated it on paper. "…June nineteenth."

Hermione and Fred smiled at one another. Fred still had a tightening in his chest that he knew wouldn't go away until the healer verified that Hermione was pregnant.

"Alright, fun part first. Let's get you checked out. Lie back and pull your shirt up just a bit and unbutton your trousers." Healer Melanie explained while she set her chart down and sanitized her hands before dimming the lights.

"Wow… what kind of fun are we having?" Fred asked, making Healer Melanie laugh.

"We're just going to look at the baby."

"Fred! Don't be crass!" Hermione admonished while she did as she was told, shimmying down her jeans and panties a bit so most of her stomach was bare.

"Sorry! You know I joke when I'm nervous!" Fred said, scooting his chair close to Hermione's shoulder and taking her hand in his.

Hermione rolled her eyes. There were very few instances where he didn't joke.

When Healer Melanie's wand tip went silver, Hermione took a deep, shaky breath and squeezed Fred's hand tighter. It didn't hurt, but she was pretty nervous herself.

The healer pressed the tip to Hermione's stomach below her belly button and the screen appeared again.

"Woah." Fred let out, surprised at the random screen popping up. "That's the inside of Hermione?"

Healer Melanie let out a laugh. "Yes, that is Hermione's womb. Let's see… This," she said, pointing to the screen, "is all of her scarring… ah… there it is... and this is the baby."

Fred's heart gave a jolt. "That jelly bean?" He asked, his eyes wide. "I thought we were having a baby." Fred teased.

Hermione bit her lip, trying to contain her laughter and remain still.

"It won't look like a baby yet… do you see that tiny movement…the fluttering?" The healer asked.

"Yes." Hermione said.

"That's the heartbeat. Would you like to hear it?" Healer Melanie.

"That's the heartbeat? Do I want to hear it? Well yes, I want to hear it!" Fred said, like it was the most obvious answer in the world, making Healer Melanie laugh again.

"He is quite the handful!" She told Hermione.

Hermione agreed. "That, he is."

The healer murmured something under her breath and then the sound of a quick heartbeat filled the room, making a wooshing noise, and Hermione gasped.

A large grin formed on Fred's face and he teared up as he watched the flutter on the screen move with the beat.

Hermione sniffled. "It's so much more real now." She said quietly.

Fred leaned over and kissed Hermione, squeezing her hand a little tighter. He rested his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"And I love you."

"And I love our little miracle jellybean."

Hermione laughed. "Me, too."

"It looks like everything looks like it should… now, it's time for the not so fun parts." Healer Melanie said as she pulled her wand away from Hermione's stomach and the screen and heartbeat disappeared.

She flicked her wand and the lights turned on. "Alright, Hermione. You can sit up and button up."

While Hermione was straightening herself, Fred pulled out some parchment and a self inking pocket quill, sitting up straight and looking quite Hermione-ish waiting to take notes.

"You have got to be kidding!" Hermione laughed, when she noticed.

"Looks like someone's prepared…" Healer Melanie mentioned, smiling.

"I don't think he's ever taken a note in his life!" Hermione commented.

"Nothing has ever been important enough to, until now!" Fred retorted.

"I take it, he wasn't the best student?" Healer Melanie asked.

"Not really! He and his twin are brilliant wizards, but both were much more interested in playing pranks."

"A twin you say? Weasley… you don't happen to own that joke shop do you?" The healer asked.

"I do."

"My son loves that shop! He begs my husband to take him every week. The wonder witch products are delightful!"

Fred grinned. "Glad to hear from another happy customer! Bring your son by the Hogsmeade location and I'll give him some goodies."

"You don't have to do that…"

"No, I insist. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of you and you'll probably going to get sick of me calling and owling… I'm a bit overprotective…" Fred warned her.

Hermione snorted. "That's an understatement!"

"Well, thank you… I'm sure Reggie would love that." Healer Melanie smiled. "Hermione, where do you work? Have you decided to continue working during your pregnancy?" Healer Melanie asked.

"I work at the Hogsmeade shop." Hermione told her.

"But she won't be working during this pregnancy." Fred answered. "We've got enough people to cover for her and I won't be allowing her around the potion making."

Healer Melanie nodded. "That's probably a good idea on both parts. You need to stay off your feet when you can. I don't want you up on your feet for more than an hour at a time for now... we'll make revisions as need be. I also want you to lie down every chance you can.

"You have a lot of scarring and that makes it hard for the blood flow to reach the placenta… lying down will help increase blood flow and keep the baby healthy. Also, it'll keep you relaxed and stress free. So, lie down as much as you can…especially in the first and last trimester." The healer explained.

Hermione looked over and saw Fred taking notes. She sighed. Now he'd never let her up.

"No picking anything up that's heavier than ten pounds. You have a wand… use it. No bending over for too long or straining to move anything. No high heels..."

Fred laughed. "Guess you better find new shoes for the wedding, huh?"

Hermione groaned. "The wedding! What am I suppose to do? Its in two weeks!"

"I trust that Fred will make sure you rest when you can. Don't dance and jump around, by the way." Healer Melanie added.

"We're soul binding… that won't hurt the baby, will it?" Hermione asked.

Healer Melanie was taken aback by the casual way the binding was brought up, but quickly recovered. She didn't want them to think there was any judgement on her part. "No, it shouldn't affect it."

"Okay, what about sex? The soul binding won't be complete until we consummate." Hermione asked.

Fred snorted. "Like I'm going to risk poking our child's eye out to do that!"

Healer Melanie laughed loudly. "I have been working in OB for fifteen years and I have yet to find a man big enough to poke his child's eye out, whether it be month one or month nine. I assure you that you won't even be close...

"To answer your question, Hermione, sex is okay as long as your gentle… nothing rough. Semen is actually known to have therapeutic effects for the woman's womb and the tissue surrounding. It mentions it in some of the baby books… you should get a few."

Hermione's eyes lit up at the mention of books. "We will be getting many books…especially if I'm stuck doing nothing."

Hermione looked over at Fred's list to see what he was writing. She read 'sex okay…nice sex only. Semen good for womb? Research.' causing her to face palm.

"You really had to write that?" Hermione asked.

He looked up at her through his eyelashes and smiled.

"Let's see… foods… no deli meat, no hotdogs, no high mercury fish, no soft cheeses… this is true high risk or not. Do eat a lot of milk and cheese, protein, fruits and veggies. Try not to drink caffeine. No alcohol, no smoking, no taking or making potions unless I have verified it is okay. If you start feeling queasy or begin throwing up a lot, let me know. I have a safe potion you can take.

"Keep taking your potion I gave you and drink a lot of water… let's see… what am I missing? Your pregnancy books will have lists for you. I'll also give you a couple pamphlets about it. Also, hot tubs and saunas are no-no's. I'd rather you take showers instead of baths."

"So… basically, I should eat protein, milk, and greens and lay in bed. Great. I'm a prisoner." Hermione complained dramatically.

"Think of it as a nice relaxing vacation before the disaster known as the baby comes. Make Fred massage your back and legs. It'll relax you and keep your blood flow going while you're resting." Healer Melanie told Hermione.

"I don't have to make him do anything; he does that already. He spoils me, I'm afraid." Hermione retorted, lifting her hand to slide it through his ginger locks. He smiled up at her.

"That's good to hear. You don't find that very often with men anymore. I'm sure Fred will take great care of you. Fred… you keep on her. I can already tell how restless she is just thinking about it.

"I know we're joking around, but this is an extremely serious situation. Your risk of miscarriage is high. Please don't be afraid to get ahold of me if you have any questions or if anything happens. I'd rather you come in too much than not enough."

"Thank you, Healer Melanie." Hermione smiled at her.

"You're welcome. Try to enjoy yourself. The baby will be all worth it in the end."

"Thank you so much. You'll probably be hearing from me soon." Fred said grinning as he stood up and shook her hand.

"My pleasure… now, Hermione. I want to see you Monday after next. Is that okay? What time would be best?"

"That should work fine… we'll be back from our honeymoon weekend by then. Can we have one early? The shop is always busier in the afternoon." Fred answered.

Hermione sighed. "I take it that you aren't going to let me go to any by myself?"

"Nope." He said, his mouth popping at the 'p'. "I'm all in."

"I'm really going to become annoyed with you, aren't I?" Hermione asked.

"Yup." He answered, popping the 'p' again.

Healer Melanie laughed. "How does 9:00am sound?" They both nodded. "Good. Now, I know that it might get frustrating, Hermione, but really you don't realize how lucky you are. I once had a patient that I put on complete bed rest and she came in crying because her husband was mad that she was home all day and didn't clean or cook for him." The healer shook her head.

"That's horrible." Hermione told her. She looked over to Fred and she could see his jaw muscles flexing as he gritted his teeth. Hermione reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Now, do either of you have any questions?"

Hermione looked up at Fred. He shook his head. "Not right now."

"Me, either. Thank you, Healer Melanie." Hermione started to push herself off the table to jump down and Fred gave her his arm to help.

"Do you need to go back to the shop? Or can we go to the bookstore?" Hermione asked him once she was down and had grabbed her handbag.

"We'll go to the bookstore first. It's still early." Fred answered as the Healer held the door to the room open.

"Can I sit on a stool and ring customers up when we get back?" Hermione asked, smiling. She already knew his answer.

"That would be a negative, love." He answered, making her laugh.

Healer Melanie laughed as she followed them out of the room. "You two are precious. Sitting in a chair, helping won't hurt you as long as you take breaks…"

"See!" Hermione said, entwining their fingers and bumping the side of his arm with her shoulder as they headed down the hall to the lift.

"Not today, love."

"Fine… but just so you know, you're paying for muggle satellite service so I can binge on television."

"Yes, dear." He said, biting his cheek to keep a straight face.

XxXxXx

Hermione stood in the baby section of Flourish and Blotts with her hands on her hips as she took in the large section of books.

"Oh, how do I pick?" She asked herself.

She began pulling books that Angelina had mentioned first, adding up the total in her head while she stacked them up.

"Here, let me take those." Fred told her, already holding three books of his own.

She read the spines as she handed over her books, smiling when she saw that they were daddy books.

"I'm going to set these on the counter and I'll be back." Fred told her as he disappeared around the corner.

She continued through the books, pulling a couple more and staring down at the two of them. She really didn't have the money for both, so she had to decide which one she wanted more.

"You're concentrating awfully hard." Fred mentioned.

She smiled. "Just trying to figure out which one I should buy."

"Why not get them both?" He asked, stepping up and looking at which ones she chose.

"I really can't afford both… I probably shouldn't get either." She decided, reaching up to put them back.

His hand covered hers before it reached the row to put it back and he took them both from her.

"We'll get both."

"Fred…"

"I thought we were consolidating…" Fred said, raising his eyebrows.

Hermione's eyes went wide. She definitely didn't want a repeat from Saturday. "Right. Of course."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Now, let's get you some novels. If you read nothing but baby, you'll go barmy."

By the time they were through, they had bought twelve baby books and four novels for Hermione.

"We'll have those bookshelves filled in no time!" Fred laughed as they walked hand-in-hand to the Diagon shop to floo home.

Hermione felt her cheeks grow hot. "Sorry." She answered, sheepishly.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her into his side as they walked. "You never have to be sorry about something you love. We'll start on that 'What to Expect' one after dinner. You can read it to me while I rub your feet."

A large grinned formed on Hermione's face. "That sounds heavenly." She could definitely get use to being spoiled rotten.

XxXxXx

"So, how'd everything go?" George asked quietly, so no one else could hear. Fred pulled out a stool from under the counter and helped Hermione hop up.

"Great! She's due June nineteenth. I thought we were having a baby, but apparently, we're having a Bertie Bott's Bean… I wonder what flavor we'll get..." Fred grinned, making Hermione backhand his stomach.

George gave him an amused look. "Is that what it looks like? I didn't get to experience that part." He reminded Fred. Angelina was already a couple months along when he found out and she didn't have another screening until they found out the babies genders.

Hermione frowned, upset that Fred would choose to bring that up.

Fred nodded. "Just like a jelly bean." He put an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"Don't look at me like that, Herms! I'll get another chance one day. We aren't stopping at those two." George looked at her stomach. "May I?"

She smiled and sat up straight. "You may, but there's nothing there."

He grinned and placed his hand on her stomach. "I can't believe you're going to be a dad, Fred." George mentioned with his hand on her stomach.

Fred cocked an eyebrow. "Why? You are already a dad."

He shrugged. "It's different." He smiled. "So, how many books did Hermione make you get today?"

"Excuse me?" Their heads turned toward the counter where a customer was standing. The customer gave the three of them an odd look, making Hermione blush.

Realizing how ridiculous he looked with his hand on her stomach, George quickly dropped his hand and turned toward the customer. "How may I help you?"

Hermione recognized who it was a grabbed the side of Fred's shirt next to his ribs. He leaned his ear down to her mouth.

"It's the reporter!" She whispered.

His eyes went wide and he turned toward the woman who was speaking with George.

"Mr. Weasley… I was wondering if you'd mind the Daily Prophet covering your double wedding?"

George's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry… it's a private affair. It's warded against anyone without an invitation… but if there's anything else I can help you with, I'll be happy to."

"Actually, there is… would you mind giving me an interview, regarding the wedding?" The reporter asked with a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh, I would, but you see that's kind of the women's department. They've been doing most of the planning. When stating I would assist you, I meant with products." George found himself becoming frustrated.

"May I speak with your fiancé then?" She asked, leaning to look behind him at Hermione.

"That wouldn't be possible… you see, my fiancé is at home taking care of our beautiful three month old twin girls. She couldn't possibly be bothered with that." George said, stepping to the side so that the reporter's view of Hermione was obstructed.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Weasley! I thought that you were Ms. Granger's fiancé… you know, with the way you were groping her." The reporter said, smiling.

"Groping? I wouldn't call what I did groping!" George hissed back at her. "If you are not buying any of our products, I will kindly ask you to leave!" He pointed toward the door.

The reporter gave George a once over before looking back at Fred and Hermione and nodding. "Enjoy your day… enjoy those books, Ms. Granger."

Hermione's eyes went wide. Had that rotten reporter been following them, or had she heard him ask Fred before she interrupted… and if she did hear that, what else did she hear?

"Come on, let's get you home. I want to get back to the shop before that woman tries to corner one of our Hogsmeade employees." Fred said, lifting Hermione off the stool and down to her feet.

"I'm sorry, George." Hermione said, hugging him goodbye.

"No reason to be sorry, Herms. Go home and relax." George said, giving her a light squeeze.

Hermione nodded. "Didn't sleep well last night… I'm thinking a nap is on the itinerary today…" Hermione said, finishing with a yawn, making the twins laugh.

She knew she needed to push what that woman had said to the back of her mind for now. She didn't need to be stressed and the damage was done; if the woman was going to write something, there was nothing Hermione could do about it.

"Come on, sleepy head, I'll tuck you in." Fred steered her toward the back, so they could floo to their flat.