Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is in this story, except the plot, and any characters that you do not recognize. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling!!!

Yankee Accents

Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

Written By: Auburn Lily

"Why aren't you two staying here?" Harry demanded, as dinner ended and the students dispersed.

"Oh, lets, Herm-" Jessa said.

"Umm, no, we're staying at The Leaky Cauldron," Hermione replied quickly, interrupting Jessa.

"Oh, but those expenses can get costly, I believe." Dumbledore answered, sneaking up behind Harry. "I insist you stay here. There are plenty of rooms."

"I really don't think that's necessary. Tom's expecting us, so we should probably be getting back now anyways," Hermione excused, summoning her cloak to her with a flick of her wand.

"Ms. Granger, you do understand that I wish for you and Miss Sanchez to remain here at Hogwarts, so that you can begin preparation for next term? It will be most convenient for myself, as well as the both of you."

"That's all very well, sir," Hermione replied, quite respectfully. "But all of our belongings are still back in our room, and I have some things at home I need to pack up. So, we need to return."

Dumbledore waved a dismissive hand at this, and replied with, "No need to worry about that. If you proceed to your quarters, you will find that somehow, quite mysteriously, all of your belongings are already there." His blue eyes twinkled mischievously at Hermione.

"But," Hermione replied lamely, searching fruitlessly for a way out of the situation. "But I-"

"But you nothing," Jessa interrupted, gripping Hermione's arm tightly, and steering her towards the Hall doors. "Come on Harry," she called back, treating him as if she'd known him for years. "Show us the way."

Harry, sharing a laugh with Professor Dumbledore, followed after Hermione, as she was dragged mercilessly from the room.

---

Harry led them to the teacher's wing, which was in the Eastern-most section of the castle, on the fourth floor.

"There are a lot of vacant rooms, so you can choose any that you like," he informed them, waving at the doors. They each had plaques over the doorframes. A few nearest them currently glowed green, with "vacancy" scrawled gracefully atop them. "The rooms adjust immediately to fit any environment you might like." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and bit his lips.

"OK, I'm going to go," Jessa announced, her hands on her hips, and her gum in her mouth. "G'night all," was heard as she strode to the nearest door and disappeared behind it.

"She seems nice" Harry remarked, after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, she is," Hermione replied.

"Well, I have classes all day tomorrow, I should probably be going."

"Um, Harry, before you leave, could we talk for a second?"

"Yea, of course Hermione, what is it?' Harry questioned, pulling his hands out of his pockets and looking genuinely concerned.

"Well," Hermione continued. 'Should I tell him?' she battled with herself. She knew she would have to tell someone eventually, other than Jessa, of course. And it was almost two months. Another month and she was going to be showing. "See, it's kind of complicated." She added sheepishly.

"Go on," he encouraged.

"Umm, why don't we take this inside a room?"

"Sure," he replied, and she led the way to a door with "vacancy" shining brightly above it.

Upon entering, they sat in the front common room of her quarters, around a bright warm fire, and in comfortable chintzes. Hermione continued.

"Well, I'm sort of attached to Draco, in more ways than one."

"Your divorce, obviously. What else? Does he owe you money?" Harry pressed eagerly.

"Where was he tonight, anyways?" Hermione asked, abruptly altering the subject.

"He usually eats in his quarters, alone. I don't know why," Harry replied. "But, back to the task at hand. Does he owe you money, or anything of that sort?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. You know Draco… if he owed me money, he would've paid me a while ago. It's nothing like that, I promise. It's a little bit more complicated."

Hermione bit her lip, and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. She fidgeted a bit, and Harry, not being able to contain his impatience any longer, sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Hermione, whatever it is, you can tell me, you know. I won't think badly of you in anyway."

Hermione snorted. "Believe me," she said. "You will think badly of me after I tell you about this."

"Well, just tell me. I promise I won't be angry or upset or anything like that. I want to be able to help you, if it's something bad."

"OK, well, you promise you won't tell anyone, most of all Ron?"

Harry nodded.

"I need to hear you say it," Hermione begged.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." Harry assured her.

"Well, it's kind of complicated, see…"

"Hermione you've already said that. Get on with it."

"I'mpregantwithDraco'schildandnowIdon'tknowwhattodo." She mumbled, quickly and incoherently.

"What? Could you possibly repeat that one?"

Hermione sighed. There was no getting around it.

"I'm pregnant," Hermione repeated, much more audibly that time. "With Draco's child."

Harry sat in the chair across from her, silent and slack-jawed, staring at her for a good five minutes. Hermione thought it best to let the information sink in before she carried on with her request.

"And now, I don't know what to do. I feel hopeless. It happened in January."

"OK, first things first. You can't let anyone know about it. That would be disastrous, if someone found out, especially Draco. And his wife can't find out either. I don't know what she would do, but I really don't care to find out."

"But see, the thing is, she wanted me to have sex with him. She told me so, the day after, when me and Ginny met them all in Flouish N' Blotts. It was almost like she was hoping for something like this to happen."

"Hmmm, that's really weird," Harry thought aloud. "There most be something behind it all. I wonder if she was merely tired of Draco and wanted to shake him off onto someone else."

"I don't know," Hermione replied, deep in scheming thought as well. "It doesn't make sense, if you ask me. Maybe that is the reason, but they didn't seem like they were unhappy with one another. I don't know why she would do that."

"Hermione, you don't know Auset. I've met her before. I attended the wedding, and it all revolved around her. She threw a tantrum in the middle of it, screaming and crying about how it wasn't going her way. And then, the priest, he stopped it, right in the middle of the ceremony. She is very powerful. You'd better be careful. I don't know what's up her sleeve, but it doesn't sound good."

"I know, I know. I'm just having mixed feelings about carrying his child. I don't want him to find out about it, because then he'll demand I get rid of it, like last time. Remember?" Hermione vented, feeling an anchor drag down her heart.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'll think of something, don't worry."

"I don't Harry, not when you're with me." Hermione said, not being able to control what came out of her mouth at that moment. "How am I going to hide it?"

"Say it's mine," Harry shot out, quite irrationally. He hadn't even had to think on the matter. "You could say your baby is mine, and no one will know any the better."

"I suppose," Hermione considered. "It is the best we can come up with right now. But, that means we'll have to act like the babies yours."

"It won't be too hard. You're staying here after all. I suppose we could share a dormitory. That would be the best way."

"I suppose," she repeated, mulling it over in her mind. She wondered if this was just another of Harry's schemes to get her to be his. But, it really was the only plan they had. In a little over a months time, she would be showing, and there were of course concealment charms, but she didn't want to have to deal with those. She wondered what would happen when the baby was born, and it had Draco's silver eyes, or his blond hair. She didn't want to think about it. "That is the best plan we have,'' she repeated aloud. "I suppose it'll have to do."