Chapter 9.

AN...I know this chapter is a little short...sorry! I knew where I wanted it to go here, but the plot wasn't agreeing with me...anyway. Here it is...

Harry and Hermione were sitting cuddling on the couch that morning, considering taking things into the bedroom, when the phone rang. Harry sighed and leant over to answer it.

"Hello?" He asked the receiver. Hermione watched in curiosity as Harry nodded to himself, voicing a few "Oh right." "Oh no." and "Oh yes"'s. Finally, he said "Right. No problem. See you in a bit." And hung up.

"Who was that?" Hermione said, reclaiming her place in his arms.

"Neville." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What's up?" She asked, concerned.

"He's having...girl troubles and wants to meet me at the leaky cauldron."

"Oh...okay." She grumbled. "Now?"

"Yeah." He said, kissing her forehead and getting up. "I don't know when I'll be back."

"Alright." She sighed, curling up on the couch on her own, stroking Toby as he leapt up beside her.

"See you!" He called as he apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, and walked in, where he saw Neville, sitting at a table near the bar, looking very uncomfortable.

"Hey!" Harry said, joining him.

"Hey." Neville said quietly.

"So...what's up? You didn't say much on the phone?" Harry looked at him curiously.

"Oh...umm...Oh Harry, this is so bad and I'm so embarrassed..."

"Go on, Nev, its ok." Harry smiled.

"I umm...well, I'm going out with this girl who lives in my street, right, you know that?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, she was over last night, and we were kissing and stuff...and she asked me to..." He looked around shiftily to check no-one else was listening.

"Oh come on, Neville. It's not like you're a virgin!" Harry laughed.

"This is not funny!" He insisted, and he leaned closer to Harry and whispered in his ear. Harry's expression changed to amused-shock as he looked at a blushing Neville incredulously.

"SHE ASKED YOU TO DO WHAT?"

"Keep your voice down!" Neville snapped.

"Sorry...but It's just...mate!" Harry said, somewhat speechless.

"Yeah, but I don't know what to do. I mean, I think I'd try it...but I'm not all that comfortable with it...but she's really keen and I don't want to disappoint her. It...It sounds...scary!" He said, staring at Harry for some sort of advice.

"Well...uh...to be honest, Neville, I don't know what to say to that. Well...me and Hermione have certainly never..." He said, slightly uncomfortable at discussing his sex life. "All I can say is that you should tell her that you're not all that sure...maybe you could even...try it? And stop if you don't...want to?" Harry advised, with a sigh.

"Uh. Thanks. Yeah, I understand. It's just...what a question! And I had to ask you, Harry! I mean, Dean would have killed himself laughing, and Ron...and I couldn't go to one of the girls!" Neville said, looking a little more relaxed.

"Yeah!" Harry smiled. "Want a drink?" He asked, nodding to the bar.

"Ahh, I'd love to, but...I've got a date!" He winked at Harry.

"Oh! Okay then!" Harry laughed. "So..."

"Shut up!" Neville blushed, standing up. "Anyway, I'd better be off."

"Me too." Harry said, joining him and walking towards the door.

"Sorry I couldn't be more help, mate." Harry said, apologetically.

"It's ok. It was a...weird question to ask you!" He laughed. "See you soon!" He said, before apparating home. Harry sighed before he done the same.

"Hey! What was up with Neville?" Hermione asked as he came back into the living room.

"Um...his girlfriend just asked him to do...something...new...in bed." He stammered, grinning.

"Oh right!" Hermione smiled as he joined her on the couch. "Well, I'm away to read in bed." She said, getting up.

"Okay." Harry said, turning on the television. Once Hermione was gone, he heard a faint knock at the door. Frowning, he went over to answer it.

"Hi...oh...does...um...Mr...Parker live here?" An American woman with luggage asked him.

"Oh, no...he's at that door there." Harry smiled and pointed.

"Oh right. Sorry to bother you!" The woman said, fussing with her bags and dragging them to Mr Parker's house.

Harry shut the door and sat down. He looked at the television, but suddenly he wasn't in the mood for watching TV. He looked to Hermione's door, and, grinning, crept up to it. Just before his hand fell on the handle, he heard the phone ring. His heart dropping, he ran to answer it, mentally cussing all the interruptions he had been getting.

"H...Harry?" Someone stammered, clearly upset.

"Um, yeah...?" He asked.

The voice sighed. "It's Ginny."

"Oh...hey." It was strange hearing a Weasley on the phone. Harry had taught them all how to use one properly when he got a phone...but Ginny was the only one who had grasped it. The others were still a bit scared of it.

"I...umm...I need to talk to you. It's urgent."

"Well...I'm kinda in the middle of something right now..." He glanced towards Hermione's door. "Can I call you back later?"

"No. Is Hermione in?"

"Yeah, she's...in the room..."

"Harry...I'm...pregnant."

"What?" He said, hardly taking the last piece of information in. "Really? If this is some sort of a joke..."

"No, Harry. I took a test....I took five...I'm definitely pregnant...and it's definitely yours."

Harry was stunned into silence. His heart seemed to have stopped beating...either that or it was going unnaturally slowly. He took a deep breath.

"Harry...?" She asked.

"I...I...I need to go. I'm sorry." He said, and hung the phone up before waiting for a reply.

Harry felt physically numb. A guilty lump formed in his throat. His mind darted to Hermione again, but not for the same reason as earlier. He wasn't interested in that anymore. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to run and run and never stop. Hardly knowing what he was doing, he opened the front door silently and walked out, clicking it shut. He was still wearing only his socks. He walked down the apartment's stairs, and out onto the street. It was late-afternoon, and the street was pretty busy. There were men in suits coming home from work...young children playing in gardens...he wandered aimlessly down the street, barely even noticing he had stepped in a puddle. He almost collided with a woman with a buggy. He stared at the buggy, as tears formed in his eyes.