Chapter 5: Drunken Lullabies
Light was streaming through the windows of the living room, illuminating the remnants of the previous night. On the couch, Ron Weasley lay with one leg hanging off, and one arm covering his eyes. Despite this protective covering, the cruel sun had managed to infiltrate and he was now faced with the prospect of dealing with a serious hangover. When he did manage to open his eyes, he found he was correct in his assumption. His tongue felt like it was wearing a particularly furry coat, his head was threatening to cleave in two, and his stomach was disagreeing with him to the point of threatening to show him exactly what he had consumed last night to put him in this state. He wondered why he and Harry had thought this was a good idea. His only saving grace would be Hermione and her ability to brew a perfect sobering potion. He thanked his lucky stars that he had married such a smart and wonderful woman
The sound of movement coming from the floor forced Ron to painfully turn his head. Harry was sprawled on the floor, neck turned at an odd angle, and now he too had unwillingly returned to consciousness. By the looks of him, Harry appeared about as bad as Ron felt. Harry sat up, holding his head in his hands and groaned. "What were we thinking? We can't drink like we're 18 anymore."
"I know, mate. Now I remember why we stopped. Bloody Hell." Ron rubbed his temples so furiously, that Harry wondered if he would rub the freckles off. Ron noticed that the clock on the wall read 10:20 and the house was quiet.
"Wonder where the girls and James are?" Harry looked toward the door and noticed Ginny and Hermione's wands were gone.
"Don't know. Must have gone out to do some shopping. Maybe they left sobering potions in the kitchen." Both Ginny and Hermione made excellent sobering potions, no doubt due to their constant practice on Ron and Harry a few years back. Ginny especially was quite good, having grown up in a house full of pub-crawling brothers. Harry and Ron made their way to the kitchen and noticed, to their dismay that no potions were there.
"I don't see anything. Perhaps they forgot before they left." The note of disappointment was evident in Ron's voice.
"Uh oh. I don't think they 'forgot'. They've left us a note. Apparently we acted like a couple of arses last night." Harry picked up the parchment and began to read aloud.
Harry and Ron –
We decided it would be best if we left the house with James before you awoke in order to avoid cursing you. The things you said to us last night were mean and hurtful and we don't much feel like forgiving you yet. Your drunkenness is no excuse for being such insensitive prats. As I'm sure you've both noticed, we did not brew the sobering potion for you. Since you clearly enjoyed getting yourselves into that state last night and hurt us in the process, it's only fair that you suffer the consequences of your actions. Hope it was worth it. Do not look for us before this evening, as we will be out all day. You might want to fix yourselves something to eat as well to soak up all of that alcohol in your systems. Perhaps you will think twice before doing this again.
Ginny and Hermione
If it was possible to feel any worse at this point, Ron and Harry did. "I think we'd better be on our best behavior and be prepared to do some groveling. The girls are pissed. And you know what it's like to get a Weasley woman angry." Harry said, as they both gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of incurring the wrath of their wives.
"I'll make a hangover cure Seamus told me about and then we can start cleaning up that living room." Ron remembered when Seamus, famous for his drinking, told him of his foolproof hangover cure. Ron remembered being a bit disgusted when he mentioned all the ingredients and thinking that he would never need it, but was thankful now that he had remembered it. He set about gathering the ingredients he would need and a few minutes later set glasses down in front of Harry and himself of the Irishman's Friend, as Seamus himself had called it. Harry eyed it suspiciously, especially the strange pinkish color.
"What's in it?" Harry asked, with his face screwed up in disgust.
"You don't want to know, mate. Just drink it down as fast as you can." Ron replied, and took a large gulp of his own. When both glasses were empty, the two men looked into each other's faces and knew they were thinking the same thing.
"That was by far the most disgusting thing I've ever had." Harry stated, his face now a pale shade of green.
Ron had to agree with him. "That bloody Irishman. Must be barking mad to drink that slop on a regular basis."
"What was that?" Harry wondered, now holding his head with one hand and his stomach with the other.
Ron mentally went over the list of ingredients again. He was sure he had added everything just as Seamus had said. "I know I brewed it right. Lets see, I added the orange juice, raw egg, banana, tripe, and hot sauce and blended it until smooth. I know it sounds like an odd combination, but I'm telling you he swears by it."
Any color that had remained in Harry's face was now drained away. "I think I'm gonna be sick." Harry clamped a hand over his mouth and ran for the bathroom.
Ron, while not feeling particularly good, noticed that the strange brew had somehow settled his stomach a little and the pounding in his head was quieting. Ron thought to himself, 'Maybe Seamus wasn't so far off track. I think it's working.' Once Harry had appeared again, also looking a little better, they decided they would take Seamus out for a pint to thank him. Maybe sometime next year. They got to work cleaning up the house and starting dinner, not wanting to irritate their wives any further. They knew they would have to do a lot of work to apologize to the girls and to prove just how sorry they were for their behavior.
The following week, Ron and Hermione had informed Ginny of their decision to go through with the procedure. However, they had not yet decided whether they wanted to tell the rest of the world what they were doing. "Well, immediate family already knows and your boss should know, Ron. After all, you won't be able to work in the field if you do get pregnant." Hermione logically concluded.
"I know, but what about everybody else? Do we really want the whole world knowing our private business?" Ron didn't fancy being the butt of every joke for the next couple of years.
"We'll come up with a pros and cons list, maybe that will help make our decision." Hermione pulled out a roll of parchment and began writing. They both thought of good reasons to share the news.
Reasons why we should tell everyone about Ron's pregnancy
Easy to explain why Ron can't work in the field as an Auror for 9 months
Ron's stomach will give it away eventually
We have nothing to be ashamed of
Our experiences may help other couples dealing with infertility
Ginny's research can get the recognition it deserves
Everyone can be as excited about the baby as we are
Once that list was finished, they began to think about the negative consequences of everyone knowing.
Reasons why we should keep Ron's pregnancy a secret
All of our most private information will be broadcast around the wizarding world.
The media will have a field day, following us all around.
Some people will be openly cruel
Kids may tease our future child when they get older for having Dad be the Mum
Ron may not be able to go back undercover once everyone has seen his face.
Once they looked at the two lists, they both saw that the only reasons for keeping the news a secret was for their own privacy and to protect the child from bullies. They found these reasons to be a little too selfish for their tastes. "If we can help other childless couples out there by doing this, wouldn't it be worth it? Ginny has worked so hard, and I would love to see her research published if this works. And besides, we can't protect our children from everything. We just have to help them become the best person they can be, show them that they're loved, and teach them right from wrong. Bullies will always be around, and they will find something to pick on anyway. I think we should let the world know, Ron."
"I agree with you. But the media is going to be a problem. They will surround us all the time. You saw what it was like with Harry. And what about my job? My position could be compromised. What if they fire me all together?" Ron really hadn't considered this possibility before.
"Do you really want to be away all the time once we have the baby? Do you want to constantly be in danger knowing that you have a child depending on you? We've talked about your job before, and you had always said that you could take a desk job so that you would have some stability for a family. Besides, if you want to remain an Auror, you could always use concealment and glamour charms like Harry does so that you won't be recognized."
"I know you're right. It just seems so…I don't know, final somehow. Like it's finally real."
Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder, giving him a gentle hug. "I know, darling. I don't dare get my hopes up too high, but I have a good feeling about this. We very well could be parents this time next year." Hermione closed her eyes and thought of the child she had always imagined she and Ron would have. It was a boy with flaming red hair and blue eyes, just like his father. An he would have her love of learning and books, but not be bookish. He would be well rounded. As her mind drifted off in her daydreams, an idea came to her. "I have an idea about how to deal with the media. They say the best defense is a strong offense. Once we find out if we're pregnant, then we go to the Daily Profit and give them the exclusive story, with the condition that we control what information is released. If they try to hound us or use questionable means to get information, then we stop talking to them. It's to their advantage to keep us happy so they get their story."
Ron was always amazed at the way Hermione's mind worked. "Have I told you lately that you are the most brilliant witch I have ever met? You are amazing, Mrs. Weasley."
"I must be pretty bright to have picked a bloke like you, Mr. Weasley," Hermione gloated.
"That's enough talking for tonight," and with all the grace of a lion hunting it's prey, Ron captured Hermione's lips with his own and passionately kissed her. They spent the rest of the evening in their bedroom with the door shut and a silencing charm placed on the room in case anyone in their family decided to drop by unannounced.
A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. My hard drive crashed and I lost everything, including everything I had written up until now. The delay wasn't all for bad reasons (although the computer crash was a major blow) – I just got back from vacation in Las Vegas, WOO HOO! We had such a blast. This story is now going to be published on Checkmated.com as well. The first chapter is up already, and has gotten a warm reception there. Fanfic readers are the best! And I want to thank all of you who sent your thoughts out to my friend who was in critical condition. She is going to make almost a full recovery! Life has been pretty good to me lately.
A/N 2: I realize this chapter doesn't really expand the plot, but I had fun writing it. Trust me, we're going to get down to the nitty gritty in the next chapter. And for anyone that's interested, the title Drunken Lullabies comes from the song by Flogging Molly, an outstanding Irish Punk band. Check them out.
Iced1: Glad I could make you laugh. Thanks for reviewing.
AnonymousPHancock: Sorry this took so long. Don't shoot me! I promise I'll try to be quicker, but I can't guarantee anything until July. I'll do my best.
Procrastinator: Thank you for your kind words. My friend is doing so much better. And yes, men can be pigs when they're drunk. But so can we all!
Michelleywelley: I hope your friend is doing better as well. It's always a little scary to be around someone when they have a seizure, but the most important thing is that you were there for her. By the way, I can't wait to read more of your story!
Megumi Ohira: Sorry this chapter didn't give too much enlightenment on how Ron will act when pregnant, but more is coming next chapter. I had to break it up because it was getting too long. And then it would take even longer for me to update. Hope you like it so far.
Triniroo: I know the story you're talking about. I read it on Sugarquill after I started this one. I hope there isn't too much similarity between them, other than Ron being pregnant. I do remember that I really enjoyed reading it, but I can't remember what the name of it was or the author. There's a lot of good fan fiction out there, and it's hard to keep up with it.
DiggaDigga: Thank you! Hope you like what's to come as well.
Strayct: I'm glad you've been enjoying it. I kind of enjoyed making them drunk but I also had fun giving them hangovers and having to rely on their own devices. Nothing is better than natural consequences when it comes to learning from your mistakes. And these guys continue to make quite a few, even though they're adults now.