In case any of you were wondering...in the last chapter when she says "I can't you move over a bit?" Yeah...she's supposed to say "I can't sleep...can you move over a bit?" I'll change it later but I'm too lazy to right now. just in case you thought I couldn't put a sentence together... :P
Hope you like this chappie :)
Disclaimer: Three (I think three) scenes in this chapter were taken almost directly (if not entirely) from the movie How To Deal by New Line Cinema, starring Mandy Moore, Allison Janney, Trent Ford etc. etc. etc. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED! If you've seen the movie, you'll know which scenes I'm talking about. If you haven't seen the movie, see it. I like it...Well I liked it because I read Sarah Dessen's books but that's not the point! This is supposed to be a disclaimer! Ahh...I'm so off-topic. (P.S. The scenes are a little altered, but you'll find that our once you read :D)
Chapter Six: Oh, Hermione
Morning came too soon for Hermione. She opened her eyes to find early morning sunlight pouring in through the opening in Ron's bed hangings. She sighed and realized his arms were still around her. He looked so peaceful when he slept; she didn't want to wake him.
There was movement in the room.
"Ron, c'mon you lazy bugger, classes start in-" Harry pulled the curtain open to find Hermione wrapped in Ron's arms, staring wide-eyed at him. He laughed.
"You two just can't keep your hands off each other can you?!" Hermione blushed profusely.
"Harry- I didn't- I- We didn't do anything. I swear."
"Don't worry, don't worry I believe you. I'd just get out of here quick just incase-"
"Well would you look at that! Weasley and Granger sitting in a tree!" Seasmus, who was now sitting upright on his bed, chanted. Dean stirred.
"Who's singing...?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"Look!" Seamus pointed to Ron's bed where Hermione was now sitting up staring around the room while Harry hovered over her. Dean chuckled.
"Those two are so..."
"Seriously, Hermione, I'd get out of here if I were you," Harry warned.
"Why?"
"Yeah, why?" Ron mumbled, opening his eyes to smile at Hermione.
"You can't be too careful...you never know when-"
Knock, knock, knock. "Open the door, please." It was McGonagall. Harry stared at the door, and to his fellow Gryffindors who were simply beaming. "Open the door, please," she repeated. Harry whipped back around to face Hermione. He waved his arms frantically at her.
"Hide! Hide!" he hissed. She quickly hopped off and crawled under the bed as Harry slowly opened the door. "Professor?" She glanced around the room to find Neville puzzled, Dean smirking and Seamus sniggering. She raised an eyebrow at Harry.
"I just wanted to inform all of you that your first Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be with Professor Flitwick with the Ravenclaw seventh years." Harry nodded.
"Um...thanks."
"Now hurry up, all of you! You should all by up and ready by now. I just need to have a quick word with Miss Granger and I expect all of you to be ready in the common room when I come back; classes start in half an hour, you know!" She turned on her heel.
"Miss Granger? You need a word with Hermione? Why?"
"Mr. Potter it really isn't your area of concern, but if you must know I just need to go over her duties as Head Girl." She turned around again and started down the hallway. Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus all rounded on Ron who stared straight down as if he could see through the bed.
"Head Girl?! How come you never told me you were Head Girl?" Harry demanded.
"I sort of forgot- but, what am I going to do?! She's going to show up at my dorm and I won't be there!" Harry rummaged in his trunk.
"Take this-" he tossed her his Invisibilty cloak, "Go! Quick, before she gets there!" Hermione crawled out from under the bed and snatched the cloak.
"Thanks Harry, I owe you one..."
"You owe me more than one," he smirked. She kissed Ron's forehead (making Seamus whistle) and darted out the door, throwing the cloak over her head in the process. She quickly ran through the common room and back up the girls' dorm stairs. McGonagall was already at the end of the corridor. No...not yet, Hermione pleaded in her head. But, instead of knocking at the final door, she turned and knocked on the door marked 'Seventh Years.' Hermione sighed as a wave of relief passed over her. Parvati answered the door and McGonagall stepped inside giving Hermione just enough time to slip inside her room and stuff he cloak under the bed...
Knock, knock, knock. She opened the door, breathless.
"Professor! Such a...surprise," she gulped.
"Miss Granger, I just wanted to over your- you look out of breath...are you alright?"
"Oh...oh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine, I just-" she paused to scratch her head and look away, "fell out of bed..."
"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that starting next week, you will be patrolling the corridors on the seventh and sixth floor from nine o'clock to eleven o'clock on Mondays to Thursdays and from ten o'clock to midnight on Fridays."
"Oh...alright. Thank you, Professor." She nodded, swivelled on the spot and marched away.
"And Miss Granger," she added, "You have Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Flitwick and the Ravenclaws today, just to clarify."
"Oh, yeah- I knew that."
"How did you know..." Hermione mentally slapped herself in the face.
"I- I didn't, I just- I guessed..." McGonagall looked sceptical.
"...Good guess."
"Right." Hermione hid her face and scampered back into her room. That was close.
-
The news that Hermione had slept with, well not slept with, slept beside, Ron had spread fast that morning. By lunchtime, all the sixth and seventh year Gryffindors at the table were whistling as Hermione and Ron entered the Great Hall.
"That had to be the most unproductive Defence lesson ever," Hermione complained, as she sat down at the end of the table, avoiding Seamus' winks. "He kept going on and on about Charms."
"At least there was no homework, right?" Ron said. She cast him a disapproving look and placed a bowl of soup on her plate.
"C'mon, Hermione, it's only the start of term...give yourself a break," Harry tried. Hermione stirred her spoon around in her bowl but didn't eat.
"I've given myself a break all summer...I'm ready to get back to work and start-" she shoved a spoonful of soup in her mouth and swallowed, "Start doing things that are worth doing, you know?" She grimaced. "I'm telling you, those house elves need a break! This soup tastes like..." She pushed her bowl away. "This is it! I'll see you two in class; I'm going to the library to work on my S.P.E.W. project," she snapped. Hermione quickly gathered her book bag and stalked out of the Great Hall heading for the library.
-
Hermione spent the rest of her week buried in the library, poring over books and making endless notes. On Saturday evening, Ginny came to visit her.
"Hey, Hermione." Hermione barely looked up from her work.
"Hi, Ginny." She continued scribbling on her sheaf of parchment.
"So...what're you doing?"
"Nothing. Just Stuff for S.P.E.W...you wouldn't be interested."
"Sure I would." Hermione glanced at her.
"You would?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I'm writing up a petition to allow Hogwarts' house elves at least one day off a month." Ginny sighed. She didn't have the heart to tell Hermione that no one would sign it. "I just really think they're being treated unfairly." Ginny nodded. Hermione sighed and looked away. "You think I'm hopeless, don't you?"
"No..."
"Forget it, Ginny. Thanks for your support anyways."
"But, Hermio-"
"It's ok." And with that she picked up her things and left Ginny sitting at the table alone. She is definitely not herself...
-
"Charms. With the Hufflepuffs," Harry nodded at the notice board. "That's Flitwick five times in less than two weeks." Ron heaved a sigh.
"Where's Hermione?"
"Right there," Harry pointed to the girls' staircase where Hermione was standing. She looked incredibly pale.
"What's wrong?"
"I did not get a wink of sleep last night! I was up all night finishing my petition. And just a while ago..."
"Just a while ago...?"
"Nothing." She linked her arm in Ron's. "Shall we go?" He shrugged.
The three of them slowly wandered through the castle on their way to breakfast. Hermione was rather quiet. They entered the Great Hall before the rest of the seventh years and sat at their usual spot at the end of the table. Hermione pulled out her petition.
"You're going to sign it, aren't you?" she asked, look and Harry and Ron hopefully.
"Hermione..." Ron began. She raised an eyebrow at him. "They- they just- they don't need it. They don't want it. You'll only be insulting them..." She glared at him.
"Thanks for the support..." Her face lit up again. "What about you, Harry?" she said brightly. He glanced at Ron then back at Hermione.
"I'm not sure," he said scratching his head. She looked close to snapping again. "Fine, fine, I'll sign it." He pulled out a quill and wrote in small letters 'Harry Potter' at the top of her page. Hermione beamed at him.
"Thanks, Harry...and what about you?" she nodded her head at Ron. He averted his eyes.
"I'll think about it." Hermione huffed impatiently.
After breakfast, the three of them made their way to the Charms classroom, Hermione badgering Ron to sign her petition the whole way there. Harry was thankful when they finally reached Professor Fltiwick's room. They sat in the back, Ron in the middle; Harry didn't think he could take any more of Hermione's damned 'helping' ideas.
"Now, now," Professor Flitwick squeaked, "Settle down, settle down. Quiet, now. Today we'll be practising our Levitating Charms." The whole class groaned.
"But Professor! We learned those in first year!"
"Indeed we did! But you learned on feathers and parchment. Today we'll be practicing on each other." Half the class exchanged excited looks. "There's pillows in the broom cupboard. Now get to it, everyone! It shouldn't be too hard for you...just a little review, and do be careful..." Ron and Harry looked at each other, then Hermione. She was still scribbling on something.
"So, are you going to stop that and do your Levitating Charm or are you going to keep at it and let Ron and I be partners?" She looked up at him.
"You two can do it; I just want to finish this-" She stared straight ahead.
"What? What is it?" Before Hermione could answer, she clapped a hand over her mouth and fled from the room. Ron raised his eyebrows and frowned at Harry. He shrugged.
"Miss Patil? Would you kindly go after Miss Granger?"
"Sure, Professor." Parvati got out of her seat and exited the room after Hermione. Harry shook his head.
"She's not herself lately," Harry commented in a lower voice than usual.
"You think?"
"I'm telling you, Ron. There's something up."
-
Hermione didn't return for the rest of class. Ron and Harry were beginning to get worried. It was probably nothing. Then again, everything with Hermione was always something.
Ron and Harry had flying lessons after Charms. They'd only taken it because it was easy, fun and a good way to clear their minds after tediously boring classes. After a long class of 'reviewing Quidditch techniques' (which was painfully easy for the both of them), and watching other students fly lopsided around the courtyard, Harry and Ron made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.
Sitting at the very end of the Gryffindor table, they began talking about Hermione before she plonked herself next to them.
"What's up? Where'd you go?" Ron started immediately.
"What?"
"During Charms? The hand over the mouth? The running from class?"
"Oh that...it was nothing. Really." She opened her book back and pulled out her Charms textbook. "Did you do anything else while I was gone?" she asked, flipping through the pages. She absent-mindedly picked up a sandwich and took a bite, still focusing on her book. Ron stared at her; she looked up at him. "What?"
"That's it? 'It was nothing. Really,' that's your answer?" Hermione nodded. "C'mon you can't just expect us to let it go...what happened?" A blush crept up her cheeks.
"I told you...nothing."
"Hermione, were you...were you sick?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Could you be a little louder?!" Ron's jaw dropped.
"Are you flipping mad? Why couldn't you tell us? Are you okay? What about-"
"Ron! I'm fine, ok? It was just- I don't even know what it was, actually. It might be a bug or someth-" She sneezed. "See?" she sniffed, "I'm probably just getting a cold or something stupid. Don't worry about me." Ron wasn't convinced.
"You should probably go to the hospital wing." She raised her eyebrows at him.
"Would you stop it?" she giggled, "I'm fine." She finished eating her lunch and clapped her hands together, brushing the crumbs off.
"Erm- Hermione?" Harry said.
"Hm?"
"What's up with you lately?"
"Pardon?"
"Just recently...you've been acting all- weird. At least I think so." He sideways glanced at Ron, then back at Hermione.
"What is it with you two?" she laughed. "I- am- perfectly- fine, ok?" Harry shrugged. Ron still looked worried. "I'll see you two later, alright? I'll be in the library if you need me." They both nodded as Hermione marched off once again.
-
Friday slowly rolled around. Hermione's cold got worse but she still refused to go to the hospital wing. Harry had given up; Ron hadn't. He was determined to make her go if it was the last thing he did.
"Hermione," he said, stepping into the common room after dinner. "Are you in here?" She raised a hand from the sofa by the fire.
"Over here," she sniffed, putting her hand back down. Ron marched over to where she was sitting and stared at her. A watery-eyed, runny-nosed mess wrapped in a red Gryffindor blanket, clinging to a box of tissues. She looked up from her book and stared at him. "Hi," she whispered feebly, smiling. He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Hermione, I want you to go see Madam Pomfrey. I'm getting worried about you."
"Ron," she sighed. "I've told you already, I'm not going. I don't want to...I don't have time to be sick!" He put his other arm around her and pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm only saying this because I love you and I care about you. You really should get yourself checked out, Hermione." She sighed in his arms.
"Not tonight, ok?"
"Fine. But promise me you will?"
"...I will."
-
Seven-thirty. She'd just woken up but it was routine by now. It had been over a week already. Hermione knew what was coming, she just had to lie back and wait. Seven-thirty-one. She felt the familiar burning in her stomach and hopped off her bed and into the bathroom. Just in time, she fell to her knees and was violently sick in the toilet.
"God, this is awful," she moaned to no one in particular. She left her bathroom, sat wearily on her bed and picked up her Charms textbook from the night before. She flipped through the pages looking for something to keep her mind off of the awful taste in her mouth. Page one-sixty-two, page one-sixty-three, page one-sixty-four...The Contraceptive Charm? Hermione blushed and remembered her night with Ron only a month earlier. Her eyes wandered to the bottom of the page. Warning: Charm only effective if performed at least one hour prior to engaging in any sexual activity.
Oh, Shit.
-
"Ginny? Ginny, it's me...Hermione. Open up."
"I'm coming I'm coming!" She opened the door to find Hermione close to a nervous breakdown. "What's wrong? What is it?"
"Nothing...well, something, but- are you busy?" Ginny looked behind her at the empty room.
"Uh...no, but-"
"Good. D'you think you could come with me for a bit?"
"Sure. Why're you-" Before she knew it, Ginny was being dragged down the corridor by Hermione.
-
(A/N: Yes, yes, I know. Short scenes.)
Ginny sat on her stomach on Hermione's bed flipping through the pages of The Witches Guide to the Female Body and muttering to herself, while Hermione sat on the floor against the wall, with a plate of peanut butter cookies in her hand.
"Um...nausea?"
"...Yeah." She shoved half a cookie in her mouth, obviously her appetite was fine.
Ginny giggled, "B-breast tenderness?" Hermione giggled too, then pressed a shaky arm against her chest and winced.
"Ow...yeah, major." She licked the crumbs off her fingers.
"Food cravings?" Hermione shook her head sternly, stuffing another piece of cookie in her mouth. Pause.
"Peanut butter cookies," she whispered.
"Oh, c'mon, Hermione...I could answer 'yes to most of this stuff too." Hermione ignored her.
"I used to hate peanut butter cookies..." She chewed silently while Ginny stared at her. Hermione crinkled her nose in disgust.
"What?"
"...No offence, Ginny, but," she sniffed the air, "Augh, your perfume is making me sick." She brushed the crumbs of her fingers and put the plate down on the floor.
"C'mon, I'm not even wearing any, I use soap." Hermione didn't answer. Ginny glanced back at the book. "...Heightened sense of smell."
-
After half an hour gone, Ginny came back into Hermione's room with an armful of small rectangular boxes. "Ok!" she said, picking up two different ones and holding them in front of Hermione's face. "D'you prefer...direct 'pee-on-a-stick' or 'dip-in-a-cup'?" Hermione picked up one of the boxed and stared at it.
-
"Maybe it's a false reading...because I have heard of things such as false readings," Ginny whispered, sitting on the edge of the tub in Hermione's bathroom. Hermione sat on the toilet seat in silence. "The strips did not look completely blue...they were only kind of blue...ish-"
"Five kids, Ginny," Hermione interrupted, sticking her hand in front of Ginny's face showing four fingers and her thumb. She stared back at all five positive pregnancy tests. Silence. Hermione buried her face in her hands and sighed. "What am I gonna do?" she whispered.
------------------------------
And there you have it! Uh Oh Uh Oh Hermione's pregnant! I would've made this chapter longer but I just HAD to get that over with!!! Yes, those last three scenes were the ones from How To Deal. I thought they were just perfect for this so yeah...
NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON!
Look out for an update!
-muah!! Natalia