Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or places described in the books. This story is meant for entertainment only, not to offend anyone. If you are offended in the least by mpreg stories, please don't read any further.
A/N: Well, my shameless begging and pleading has resulted in having 3 new betas for my story! I'm not ashamed of myself since my betas are all fantastically gifted writers themselves as well as being faithful reviewers of mine. I am truly honored that LJ Fan, VisiOnOfDeath, and michelleywelley are my new betas. Thank you so much guys. I know that I make a few (ok, a TON) of spelling and grammar mistakes, and I am thrilled that you found them and told me about them. Actually, I put them in there on purpose just to see I you were up to the task. Who am I kidding? I desperately needed you. A thousand thanks, a plate of cookies, and some jell-o for Starr.
I wanted to dedicate this chapter to LJ Fan, not only one of my new betas, but my fellow sap sister. Thank you for always making me laugh in your reviews, warning me about movies that will make me cry, and almost always being the first person with a review on a new chapter. You rock, my friend.
Just in case anyone is interested, the chapter title comes from The Darkness: Permission to Land. It seamed to be appropriate, relating to Ron later on in the chapter. If you haven't listened to this album before, I highly recommend it for their musical ability and their sense of humor.
Chapter 7: Holding My Own
The three months taking the potion had passed extremely slowly for Ron. However, they had passed and it was now time for both he and Hermione to return to Ginny's office for the next step. They were both glad this part was over. As supportive as Hermione had tried to be, it was difficult to deal with a constantly emotional husband. Perhaps this experience would teach him a little empathy after all, and he would be not so quick to blame her every mood change on "that time of the month."
Ron, for his part, had tried hard not to complain during these last couple of months. After all, women went through this period of feeling rotten every month for decades. It was just that he was eager to get on with the next part, when they would actually know whether they had conceived or not.
Ron and Hermione had arrived 10 minutes early for their appointment. As they sat in the waiting room, a very pregnant woman and her husband arrived and sat in the seats across from them. The woman smiled, absently rubbing her stomach, and spoke to Hermione. "So, are you two expecting?"
Hermione, unsure of how much information to give, replied. "Oh, no, not yet. We're hoping soon, though."
"There's nothing like the miracle of children. This is our third and fourth. We're having twin boys." Ron stared at her stomach, envisioning little hellions, a la Fred and George, terrorizing the happy couple. They didn't have a clue what twins were like.
"I'd be happy to be done with the pregnancy part though. These two do nothing but kick me day and night. I don't know when I last saw my feet or had a decent night's rest, but it's all worth it in the end." The pregnant witch sighed. "Only two more months of this to go."
Hermione smiled politely, but it was Ron who couldn't take his eyes off the woman's stomach. She was huge, and still had two months to go. Ginny had said that if it worked, he would likely become twice as big as a woman does when pregnant. His face paled at the thought. He finally asked, "So, what's it like, the whole pregnancy thing?"
The husband, thinking Ron was talking about him instead of his wife, stated "I'll be glad when the little buggers are here as well. It's not easy watching your wife go through hell, knowing how much pain she's in. Thank Merlin we don't have to do it, right, mate? Our fathers had the right idea, not being allowed in the delivery room. It's horrible, it is. They got to sit in the waiting room and hand out cigars and such."
Hermione looked at Ron's pale face, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Ron looked at his wife and gave her a forced smile that did not reach his eyes. He was terrified, but he didn't want to admit it. Thankfully, the mediwitch came out at that moment. "Weasleys? The healer will see you now."
They were led down the hallway to Ginny's office. She greeted each one of them as they sat in front of her desk. "Well, how have you been feeling this last month, Ron?"
After he had explained the various aches and pains as well as emotional outbursts, Ginny nodded her head. "Yes, that's to be expected, unfortunately. I have a few things to discuss with you before we proceed today. First, Ron, I'm going to give you the option of working with a different healer. From here on out, you are going to need invasive procedures. If you are in any way uncomfortable with me performing these procedures, then I will completely understand. You won't offend me if you would prefer that my colleague Healer Willowbark take over your medical care. I will still oversee the research, of course."
Ron didn't need to think about his options for long because to him, the choice was clear. "I don't want anyone else Gin. I trust you. You're the one who's gotten us this far and if it weren't for you, we wouldn't even think this was possible. Besides, we shared a room for years before Bill finally moved out. Not like I have anything you haven't seen before."
Ginny smiled at her brother. "I suppose not. Well, if you're ready then, we might as well get started. The first thing we need to do, Ron, is to make sure that the potion did its job preparing your body." Ginny led them into the exam room as Ron lay down onto the table. Ginny swept her wand over Ron's abdomen, and a green light glowed above his midsection. "Excellent. Looks like you're ready. Now then, we will take Hermione into the procedure room and extract her eggs magically. While we're doing that, you will need to work on the sperm sample." Ginny handed him a specimen cup.
"What??? You're not serious. I thought you were going to extract that magically as well."
"Sorry, Ron. That has to be done the old fashioned way." Ginny said, seriously.
"You mean I have to wank into this bloody cup?" Ron said, with his voice rising.
"Now, it won't be that bad. We have a lovely, private room that should be able to supply you with anything you need to get the job done. It's modeled after the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. When you're finished, hand the cup to the mediwitch, and she will bring it to the lab. Once we've combined the sperm and eggs, we need to wait for 72 hours before we can complete the procedure. You will need to come back in 3 days. And make sure that you get the day off of work, you two. You will need to lie down for 12 hours after the procedure, Ron. Someone will need to stay with you as well. If you can't take off work Hermione, I'm sure Mum could stay."
"It shouldn't be any problem, Gin. My caseload is pretty low right now. No major cases in the works." Ginny led Ron to the 'private' room and then left with Hermione to the procedure room.
Ron emerged from the room 30 minutes later, his face and ears burning red as he handed the cup to the mediwitch. He couldn't quite look her in the face. He sat in the waiting room, wondering what Hermione was going through.
When she finally returned, Ron embraced her and kissed her forehead. "Are you feeling alright? How was it?"
"I'm fine. Honestly, it didn't even hurt. The spells they used were quite complex. I was fascinated with the whole thing. Any problems with you? How was that room? I'm dying with curiosity to see it."
Ron thought for a moment about his experience. "It was the best and worst thing I've done in a long time. That room is bloody brilliant, I tell you. Anything you can fantasize, it appears." Ron cleared his throat. "Not that I ever needed to, uh, do that sort of thing. But then coming out of that room, cup in hand, and having to give it to the mediwitch? That was humiliating. Couldn't even look up from my shoes." Ron's ears turned red again with the memory.
Hermione tried to stifle her laugh. Even when Ron was embarrassed, he was endearing. She couldn't help loving this man. "Well, I'm sure they deal with that all the time here, darling. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Come on, let's head over to the Lamb's Wool for a bite to eat.
Three days later, Ron and Hermione returned to Ginny's office. "Are you ready for this, Ron?" Ginny asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be I suppose."
Ron and Hermione followed Ginny to the procedure room. When they had entered, Ginny instructed Ron to take his shirt off and lie down on the table. "Hermione, you can have a seat here next to Ron. I'm going to say a series of spells to implant two of the embryos. We suggest doing two because it doubles your odds of conceiving and even if they both implant, you wouldn't have to worry about a high number of multiples. With each baby, the chances of complications increase. I don't think your body could handle more than two, Ron. Once the spell work is done, I'll need you to drink a series of potions. Every two hours for the first twelve hours, I'll need you to repeat the potions. You may feel a bit woozy after, so it's straight home to bed with you. Do you have any questions before we get started?"
Hermione spoke up. "How many embryos were viable?"
"Actually, there are 6 healthy embryos, so we will freeze the other 4 in case you need them at a later date." Ginny didn't want to say 'in case this time doesn't work,' but Ron and Hermione knew what she meant.
"When will I know if I'm pregnant?" Ron asked.
Ginny replied, "Within two weeks, we should know one way or the other. We'll give you a pregnancy test at that time, but you might know for sure before we ever do the test. Listen to your body, Ron. If you're tired, then rest. If you're hungry, eat. I want you to continue with the multivitamin potion and the hormonal solution 3 times a day. Alright, let's get this show on the road."
Hermione reached for Ron's hand and gave it a squeeze. She continued to hold his hand and smooth his hair throughout the incantation. Once Ginny was finished, she helped Ron to sit up so that he could take the 6 different potions lined up in front of him. "How do you feel so far?" Ginny asked.
"No different. I didn't feel anything while you were saying the spells." Ron said.
"I'm not surprised. It's a combination of the spells and the potions that does it. Now, you need to finish all of these. I'm sorry the taste is pretty bad."
"Yeah, and I should drink them in one gulp. I'm starting to see a pattern here." Ron said with a grimace. "Well then, down the hatch." Ginny was right. They tasted pretty disgusting. After Ron had finished the fourth one, his head started feeling a little light. He downed the fifth potion, and the room felt like it was turning on it's axis. Ginny could tell that they were affecting him. "Are you alright, Ron?"
"I'm feeling a bit dizzy. The room won't quit spinning."
Hermione looked concerned. "Just one more to go, love. Then I can take you home."
Ron nodded his head, which was the wrong thing to do as this made his head spin even more. He downed the last of the potions and nearly gagged. He wasn't sure if he was going to throw up or pass out, but he felt certain he was going to do one of them. Ginny suggested that he put his head between his knees and take deep breaths. As he tried to regain his composure, Hermione rubbed his back soothingly. It helped, for a few minutes later he was able to sit up without swooning like a nutter.
"Alright there Ron?" Ginny asked her pale, sweating brother. He managed a weak "yeah" and she pushed his sweat soaked fringe away from his forehead. "The next round won't be as bad as this. Just make sure that you are in bed when you take them in case you do pass out. If you're ready to stand, I can release you. Remember, straight home with you. Can you manage to apparate without splinching yourself?"
"Yeah, it's better now. Just a little woozy is all." Ron got to his feet and swayed slightly. Hermione steadied him as he got his balance.
"Make sure he drinks plenty of liquids and stays in bed. Nothing too heavy to eat. Soups and broths are ok. He should be able to eat regularly again tomorrow. If you have any problems, call me," Ginny explained to Hermione before giving Ron a hug. "I'll come by to visit tonight to see how you're doing."
Ron thanked her before he and Hermione apparated to their bedroom. Hermione helped Ron to get changed into his pajamas as he was still a little dizzy. Once she had gotten him situated in bed, she kissed him on the forehead and prepared let him get some sleep. Ron stopped her before she left the room. "Will you stay with me?" Ron asked through hooded eyes. How could she resist that wounded puppy look he gave whenever he was sick?
"Of course. Do you want anything first?" Hermione asked as she filled a glass next to his bed with water.
"Just you." Hermione climbed into bed with Ron. He laid his head on her chest and was asleep within minutes. She listened to his steady breathing and stroked his hair while he slept. She watched him, worried about what he was going to go through in the coming months. She worried how he would react if this didn't work. Ron was the strongest person she knew, but would he be able to deal with losing a child? Would she? But as she lay next to him, stroking his hair, she had the overwhelming feeling that everything would be ok. She whispered softly into his hair "Sleep well, my love. Both of you."
Hp/charmed obsessed: Thanks anyway. Perhaps you could find your own beta by shameless begging and pleading as well. It worked for me J
AnonymousPHancock: He is a good man, isn't he? Thick headed and a bit of a prat, but he would do anything to help his loved ones. Even get himself knocked up.
Straycat: I'm so happy to have a Dutch fan! Dyslexia is a difficult thing to overcome, but good on you for continuing to write as well as beta for LJ Fan. It pleases me to hear people say that Hermione's thoughts seem to be very realistic. Thank you so much.
Kristi: Glad you like it so far.
Penguingirl1266: Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I'm glad I haven't grossed you out (yet, anyway). And thank you for the offer to beta. I actually already had 3 offers, so I don't need you right now. But the offer is much appreciated. And if they decide that they are sick of my pathetic writing and no longer want to beta, I hope your offer will still stand. I have found fan fiction writers and readers to be very kind and helpful on this site. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy the story.