A/N: Some of you thought that Fred and George were cruel in the last chapter and therefore out of character. They didn't intend to be cruel. They were simply teasing Ron like they always have. But as sometimes happens with family, the line between playful teasing and hurt feelings is a thin one. Molly had banned them from bothering Ron when they were waiting to find out if the procedure was successful, so they were making up for lost time.
For anyone that wanted to know, 1 stone 14 pounds
Finally, for those of you who missed Hermione in the last chapter, this one is for you.
Chapter 12:
Ron and Hermione were back in the waiting room at Ginny's office for their 14-week check-up. Thankfully, Ron's nausea had abated somewhat, although he still felt ill throughout the day. At least the vomiting had stopped, for which he was eternally grateful. He could now say that he was in the second trimester of the pregnancy, which Ginny had said would be the most dangerous for miscarriages. While he was finally feeling a bit better, his appetite had increased exponentially. He was always hungry, and had gained a stone already. His stomach was quite pronounced now, although his robes hid the majority of it. Most people thought he had just put on a bit of extra weight around the middle.
Hermione was staring at Ron's stomach when he turned to look at her. "What are you doing?"
"I was just wondering what it feels like, to be pregnant I mean." Hermione said, as she smiled at her husband.
"You could always have Ginny put that spell on you that she used on the twins," Ron said, smirking.
"I've thought about it, although I think she put a bit too much magic into Fred and George's spell. They were absolutely miserable, begging Ginny to lift it after a day."
"Yeah, poor blokes," Ron said sarcastically. "Must be terrible to be sick day and night and be that bloated. Seeing them in Mum's old housedresses, since they couldn't fit into their own clothes, was bloody fantastic. I wish I could have seen them crying like babies, though."
"Don't be mean, Ron. They did apologize to you, after all," Hermione scolded, as she folded her arms across her chest.
"That's only because Ginny made them before she would lift the spell. I won't forget the look on their faces as long as I live." Ron said, smiling to himself.
"You never did answer me," Hermione said, breaking Ron out of his memory of the twins' ordeal.
"Oh, you mean about what it feels like?" Hermione nodded. "Well, now that I'm not puking all the time, it feels a bit like I swallowed a brick. There's a sort of heaviness in my stomach, and I'm tired from hauling this extra weight around. I can't really tell anything else yet."
Hermione was about to say something when the mediwitch called them back to the examining room. After a brief examination, Ginny had the results for ready for them. "Well, everything looks good. What do you think of twins?"
"Funny you should mention Fred and George. Hermione and I were just talking about..." Ron began to explain, but Ginny cut him off.
"No, not the twins. I mean twins, as in your twins." Ginny said as she smiled at the couple.
Ron still looked confused, but Hermione knew what Ginny was trying to say as her eyes widened in shock. "You're sure? You couldn't be making a mistake could you?"
"What are you on about? What about twins?" Ron said, still trying to figure out what was going on.
Hermione smiled at her clueless husband, and spoke in a soft, comforting voice, "Ron, Ginny said we're having twins. Isn't that wonderful?"
Ron thought he was dreaming, and was about to wake up at any minute. "Twins?"
"Yes, darling. Twins." Hermione was positively beaming as she wrapped her arms around him.
The next few minutes were a blur as Ron tried to process this new information. He knew that this was a possibility, but never really thought it would happen to them. When Ron came to his senses, he noticed that Hermione was there holding his hand and stroking his hair. They were going to have twins. Fate was a strange companion indeed.
Ginny explained the increased risks to the pregnancy now that they were dealing with a multiple pregnancy. Ron was to take it easy, reduce the stress in his life, blah, blah, blah. Ron had heard this enough over the last 3 months to know what was expected of him.
As they were preparing to leave the office, Hermione and Ginny began to discuss their upcoming trip to Barbados, an island in the West Indies. Apparently, there was a wizarding resort on the east coast of the island that was supposed to be one of the finest in the world. Mrs. Weasley had suggested that the two women go on holiday before the baby was born, just a girl's weekend away. Molly would watch James, and Ron would stay with Harry for a bloke's weekend. They were scheduled to leave in six weeks and both women were quite excited to spend a few days in the carribean.
Two weeks later, Ron and Hermione stood outside the entrance to the Witch Weekly headquarters. Now that the pregnancy was in the second trimester, Ron's secret would be obvious to everyone soon. So to get their version of the story in the press rather than half-truths and lies, they had decided to tell their story to the magazine. Rita Skeeter had been working for WW for the last couple of years, and Hermione thought it would be good to give the exclusive to her. Hermione reasoned that Rita would be well aware of the possible consequences for betraying any agreement that was set up, and could therefore be trusted enough to get the story straight.
The reception witch escorted them to Rita's desk, and told them that Rita had just stepped away and would be back momentarily. Within a few minutes, Rita returned with a coffee cup in one hand and reading the Daily Prophet, which was clutched in the other hand. Rita had obviously not seen them yet. Hermione cleared her throat to alert her to their presence. Rita began, "Yes, may I help..." as her eyes focused on the couple sitting in front of her desk. Rita jumped, spilling coffee down the front of her white blouse. "YOU! What are you doing here?" Rita spat, with her eyes narrowed at Hermione.
Hermione simply smiled at the woman, and in her calmest voice stated, "How lovely to see you again too, Rita. We're just fine, thank you for asking. It's been quite some time since we've seen you. Hope all is well with you and yours." Before Rita could utter a word, Hermione continued, "Good. We have a bit of a proposition for you, if you're interested. And I think you will be."
"I hoped I'd never see the likes of you again, Ms. Bossy Boots. I don't want anything you have to offer." Rita glared at Hermione, apparently oblivious to the fact that Ron was in the room. "Good day to you." Rita stood, intending to march the couple out of her office.
"Oh dear, Rita. It seems you and I have gotten off to a bad start. You were most helpful with that article about Harry in The Quibbler back in our fifth year. I believe that was the most popular article ever written for that magazine. Seems to me that's what got you the job here, if I'm not mistaken. I just thought that you would jump at the chance to get another exclusive story before the rest of the world. It could be the most important article you've ever written." Hermione hoped that she was pushing all the right buttons, and seeing the look on Rita's face, she was sure that she was. "But I guess you don't care about the fame and prestige that would come from such an exclusive. Come on Ron, I'm sure Allison Hurst would jump at the chance to write this story." Hermione started to rise from the chair, but was stopped by Rita placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back down.
"Now, don't get your panties in a twist. What kind of exclusive are we talking about? It's not as if Harry Potter is big news anymore." Rita sat on the edge of her desk across from Hermione, and folded her arms across her chest in the manner of one trying hard not to seem too interested.
Hermione knew that Rita couldn't resist the allure of getting an exclusive on something, especially with the threat of the story going to her bitter rival, Allison Hurst. "It has nothing to do with Harry. This has to do with a medical procedure that could revolutionize magical medicine and provide hope to people who had none. But that's all I'm going to tell you until we come to an understanding."
"What kind of understanding?" Rita said skeptically.
"Well, more of an agreement. You agree to print the story as we tell it, and we get to see the story before it goes to print. Not that we don't trust you." Ron snorted, and Hermione gave him a stony look before continuing. "It's just that the parties involved work in, shall we say, sensitive areas and we don't want to reveal anything to jeopardize their work. In return, you get the exclusive story from the participants themselves. I'm sure once the story breaks, reporters from all over the wizarding world will be reporting on the procedure, but only you will have the first-hand report from the participant."
Ron watched his wife in amazement. She really was the most brilliant witch he had ever known. Of course the story would be everywhere, but by limiting their interviews to one reporter, they could control what personal information was released. They would make sure the truth was published, rather than gossip and rumors by letting the world know that only Rita Skeeter had the true story. Ron was sure that Rita would jump at the chance.
"Alright, but what's to stop me from publishing something that you don't approve of, Mrs. Weasley?" Rita was looking at Hermione over the top of her glasses, with a smug expression.
"Well, for one, you wouldn't get another chance to interview the client. And secondly, before I give you one more scrap of information, you will have to sign this contract, outlining what we just discussed." Hermione pulled a roll of parchment from her purse, and smoothed it out on the desk. "Before you sign, you should know that it's been charmed. If you break the contract, I and everyone who sees you will know."
Rita paused with her acid-green quill in her hand, and shot Hermione a withering look. "What have you done to it?"
"Let's just say that I have experience in these matters, and a breach of contract on your part would be quite literally, painful and embarrassing to you." Hermione tried to hide the smirk that tugged at the corners of her mouth when she thought of what would happen to Rita if she were to go back on the agreement.
Rita stared at Hermione with a mixture of shock, anger, and awe. After a moment of contemplation, she signed her name on the parchment. "Fine. But this had better be worth it."
Ron was helping Hermione to pack for her trip to Barbados with Ginny. They were set to leave in the morning by port key, and Hermione wanted to make sure she had everything packed before dinner. Ron was folding her clothes neatly on the bed.
"So what are you and Harry going to get into while we're gone?" Hermione asked while she packed her bathing suit into her bag.
"Not much really. Now that everyone knows about me being pregnant, it's not like I can really go out without being bombarded with questions. Not that I really want to go to the pub, since it looks like I swallowed a child's beach ball." Ron rubbed his stomach and felt something like a flutter.
"Whoa, what was that?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to rub his swollen belly. He felt the flutter again.
"What was that?" Hermione called from the bathroom.
"I felt something in my stomach."
Hermione ran into the bedroom where Ron was sitting, holding his stomach. "Ron, are you alright? Does something hurt?" She sat next to him and placed her hand on his stomach.
"No, it doesn't hurt, but I felt something like a butterfly in my belly. There, it did it again."
Hermione felt a faint ripple in Ron's stomach, but to her it felt a bit like a gas bubble. "Ron, that must be the quickening." She began to rub circles on his stomach.
"The what?"
"Honestly, Ron. The quickening. When you can first feel the babies move. Isn't it exciting?"
"Oh, so that's what that was. Cool." He looked at his stomach, waiting for it to happen again.
Hermione watched her husband with amusement. "This seems even more real now, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, kind of. Up until now I've just been sick and fat. Now it really feels like there's something alive in there."
"Two somethings. We should really start to narrow down our list of names." Hermione picked up the stack of clothes that Ron had been folding to put in her bag.
"As long as the name Samantha isn't on the list." Ron said offhandedly.
Hermione whipped around to glare at Ron. "Why is it that you can't just let things go? I know it's hard to watch Harry be partnered with someone else, but honestly Ronald, what has the woman done to you?"
"I get a bad vibe from her. You didn't hear what she said to me at the party. She said she wouldn't want anything to happen to me or the baby."
"So what's wrong with that? She was concerned about your health. Did she say it menacingly? Was she holding a knife you your throat at the time? Besides, she knew about our secret for some time now and didn't tell anyone. If she were really out to get you, she would have used that against you weeks ago. Instead, she was true to her word." Hermione had heard enough about the evil Sam to be completely fed up with Ron's wild accusations at this point.
"Well, no. It's not the words or even how she said them. I can't explain it. It's just a feeling I get when I'm around her. She's not who she says she is, I just know it." Ron couldn't understand why no one else saw this woman the way he did. There was just something off about her.
"And what proof do you have of that? Come on, I know you started checking on her background as soon as you met her. And what did you find out?"
"Nothing. But records can be changed. It's not conclusive…"
"No, Ron. Nothing about this is conclusive other than the fact that you don't like her for whatever reason. We're all tired of hearing about this, okay? You need to let this go. The stress it's causing you isn't good for you or the babies. I'm worried about your health, Ron. Please, do whatever you have to do to stop thinking about Sam. Stay away from her if you have to, but put an end to this torment you've created for yourself."
"Fat chance of that, since I see her everyday at work. And Harry's partnered with her. Aren't you the least bit concerned about that?" Ron's temper was flaring now and he could feel his blood pressure rising.
"Harry is an adult, and he can take care of himself. You, on the other hand, have two babies to worry about, who need you to take care of yourself and them. Honestly, you're making this twice as hard on yourself as it needs to be. Look at you. Your face is all flushed and I bet your blood pressure is through the roof. Come on, lie down." Hermione helped Ron to lie back and placed a pillow under his knees.
After a few minutes, Ron's coloring returned to normal and he felt calmer. "I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't get worked up like that. You're right; I'll try harder to stay calm."
Hermione wiped a stray tear off her cheek. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten into a row with you, but I think you needed to hear it. I'm very concerned about you. Maybe I shouldn't go this weekend."
Ron sat up in bed. "What? Don't be ridiculous. You need this break. I know how hard it must be looking after me all the time. I certainly wouldn't want the job." He flashed his famous grin, and she smiled back at him. "Come here." Ron wrapped his arms around her as she lay next to him.
"Are you sure? I can always go another time. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you or the babies and I wasn't here."
"Don't worry, love. Everything is going to be fine. Go and have a wonderful time."
The next day after the two witches had left by port key for their vacation, a set of eyes watched as Weasley walked into Potter's house with a suitcase. From the bushes, the eyes watched as the redhead passed in front of the front window and sat in an armchair in the living room talking to Potter. After a few minutes, the watcher suddenly disappeared and a small pop was heard in the bushes outside the home of Harry Potter.
A/N: I know, another cliffhanger. Be angry with me if you must, but hopefully the suspense will keep you wanting to read more.
If you're wondering why I chose Barbados for the girl's vacation, it's because 1. It's one of my most favorite places in the world and 2. I am dreadfully tired of snow and cold, so imagining them on a hot, sunny beach transported me there mentally as well. Barbados has a long and rich history as a former British colony, and makes one of the finest rums in the world, Mount Gay Rum. The east coast of the island is rocky (with one of the most beautiful pink sand beaches I have ever seen) and less densely populated, so I thought that would be a perfect place for wizard holiday makers who wanted to get away from the Muggles. If you ever get the opportunity to go there, I highly recommend it.
Thanks again to all the readers and especially the reviewers. I really love to hear what you think about the story, whether you love it or hate it. I'm trying hard to keep to my once a month updates, but please bear with me if it ends up being a little longer. I promise I'll update as fast as I can. And as always, I have to thank my wonderful Betas – LJ Fan and Michelleywelley who had this beta-read in one day! You guys never cease to amaze me.
Arwentheelf: Ah, interesting question. I can't answer yet, but I promise you'll find out a lot more in the next chapter.
WMG: You're definitely on Ron's side I see. Are you absolutely sure about that?
Strayct: Poor Sam, she just can't seem to catch a break. At least Hermione likes her. I know you missed Hermione, so I hope this chapter made up for that.
Bob Bennit: I'll add you to the HoS club (haters of Sam) – the membership is getting larger all the time
Penguingirl266: Favorite authors? (blushes) Thank you so much. Your review made my day. As for Forge and Gred, see my note at the top of the story.
Clara022292: To answer your question, the twins did tease Ginny a little when she was pregnant, but it was all in good fun. She wouldn't have expected any less from those two. But they didn't take it too far – remember they're somewhat frightened of her hexing ability, and they would have done well to remember that when it came to teasing Ron.
Clothespeg-rules: I've been meaning to ask you - how did you get that name? Anyway, thanks for the McDonald's commercial running through my head when I read your review. Although that's not nearly as bad as the Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper commercial that pops into my head at least once daily. "Phenomenon ba ba da da dub…"
La'Ruelia: I added the crying twins just for you. Sorry I couldn't put in a scene just about their experience, but I've already got this story outlined on how I want it to flow, and some things that aren't as important to the story get left out. If enough people are interested in the twin's brief experience with pregnancy, then I might do a one-shot outtake on it.
HugglesAll: The wizarding world is accustomed to accepting unusual happenings, but a male pregnancy is still quite a lot to take in. I briefly mentioned it in this chapter as an aside as to why Ron doesn't want to go out – people will be staring at him; kind of like Harry with his scar. I'll get more into the world's reaction later, but I didn't want to hold this chapter up any more than it already was. As for Sam, all I can say is that you'll find out more in the next chapter. Thanks for you comments about "At Last".
Hp/charmed obsessed: Yeah, I'm excited about HBP. I wonder who JKR is going to kill this time?
B2brules3326: Don't mess with Ginny! She can be a little scary when she wants to.
FuocoDeiDraghi: You made my day. I'm glad you like it so much. Sam is still an unknown at this point, but there are two distinct camps: those that think she's a good friend, and those who think Ron sees something in her the others don't. I promise you'll find out in the next chapter.
RomanceFreak: To answer all 3 of your reviews: ok, ok, ok!
Triniroo: Oh yeah, mood swing city. I would know, being the hormone queen myself. Ron's making life much harder on himself and everyone that cares about him in regards to his dislike of Sam.
Lucidity: Thank you so much. It means a lot coming from another woman who understands infertility to know that I've been sensitive to the subject. Before I started writing this story, I often thought "what if my husband could do this instead?" That would make life a little easier, don't you think? I read your profile and I was so happy to see that you're now a mother. Congratulations! How old is your child? Seeing other people that have been through what I'm going through and were successful gives me hope. Would you mind if I e-mailed you sometime? Sorry about not going into more detail on the twins, but it just didn't move the plot along. If you're interested in seeing a one-shot about the twin's sympathetic pregnancy, let me know. I've thought about doing a one-shot on it.