Ron and Harry walked on in silence, away from The Burrow, away from Hermione. He had only turned back once, and that was enough. It really was a mark of his friendship with Harry, that he didn't bombard Ron with questions or advice.

All Harry had said was, "You okay?" Ron had nodded and that was the end of it. Harry knew what was going on, Ron didn't need to say it out loud. They walked on, up the steep hill, not even thinking to apparate yet, they both needed the walk.

What killed him even more than leaving was that he couldn't tell Hermione where they were going. If it somehow got out, they would be dead for sure.

"Don't tell me! I don't even want to know!" She had yelled at him, clamping her hands over her ears and singing loudly to block out any sound. The memory made him chuckle slightly, he didn't care that Harry was looking at him funny, this was the kind of thing that made it all worth while,

Ron still hadn't figured out what was going on with Harry and Ginny. They only spoke to each other when absolutly necessary and never, ever made eye contact. He just wished Harry would stop being so "nobel" and realize that Ginny wasn't going anywhere. Of course he couldn't make them see that, just like they couldn't make him realize his feelings for Hermione. He had to come around in his own time, although, he did act like a great prat when he finally did.

"This should be quick." Harry was saying. ''I've gotten a sort of lead on something, I just want to be sure that it is the real thing this time."

"Yeah, sure."

"Once we've got all the information, we can make a plan."

"Uh huh." He was only half listening to Harry.

"We should speed it up though, Lupin will be waiting."

"Lupin?" Ron asked, "He is your contact?"

"Shhhh, someone could be listening." Harry scolded, even though he had just said Professor Lupin's name was well. He looked over his shoulder than whispered, "Apparate to The Hogs Head, and go straight up the stairs to the second room on the right."

A small pop and Harry was gone, no further instruction. He could always go back, no, no he couldn't. "No more thinking about this Weasley! You made the right choice now go." He said to himself and willed himself to The Hogs Head.

"Well, he left." Hermione announced to Ginny after comming back inside the house. She stood and watched him and Harry dissappear up the hill, and even after they had gone out of sight.

"Are you alright?"

"I...I will be." She offered, of course she wasn't okay! She wouldn't be okay untill Ron was home with her and the baby.

There was going to be a baby, wow.

She wanted to have children, but not like this, not when she was seventeen. The possibility of ending the pregnancy had crossed her mind, and she was ashamed she had even considered it.

"It isn't the baby's fault, it didn't ask to be created." She had told Ron when he had brought it up. Adoption was a choice as well, but she and Ron agreed they could never give the baby up.

"They'll be home soon." Ginny whispered but Hermione had the sneaking suspicion she was saying it more to herself than to Hermione. Ginny had skillfully avoided Harry the enitre time he was at The Burrow. She knew Ginny was worried about Harry, how could she not be? Hermione wasn't sure the exact reason behind their breakup, everytime she asked either one they clammed up. They were meant for each other, it was that simple.

"I hope so, Ginny." Hermione said. "I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

Ginny giggled, "Not really, we had lunch twenty minutes ago."

"No, that can't be right." She checked her watch. "I'm starving."

Her eating habits had changed rather quickly, and bless the hearts of everyone in the house, dealing with her constant cravings of odd foods and throwing up at the smell of chicken. It couldn't get any worse, she thought and than came the vanilla ice cream with the sliced tomatoes on top.

Hermione could handle the food cravings, the morning sickness, and her increasing waistline no problem but it's what came afterwards that scared her. She had never even been around babies before, not having any brothers or sisters of her own. She had always been jealous of Ron, growing up with such a huge family.

"Hello? Hermione? Are you listening to me?" Ginny was waving her hand in front of Hermione's face.

"What? No, sorry."

"I asked you when your next healer appointment was."

"Oh umm, today is...Thursday right? Right, so Tuesday." Hermione answered, "Actually Ginny, would you like to go?"

"What me? Why?''

"Well, your Auntie Ginny, is that enough of a reason?" Hermione hoped it would be, she would feel more comfretable with Ginny in the examining room with her, and she had already discussed it with Molly and Arthur.

"I would love to go!"

"I'm only about seven weeks along so it won't be that exciting yet, but I hope she'll let me listen to the heartbeat again." Hermione's eyes filled with tears when she thought about the little heartbeat she had heard. In a muggle pregnancy the heartbeat develops at six weeks but usually cannot be heard.

"When do you find out if it is a boy or a girl?" Ginny asked, eager to know if she was going to have a neice or a nephew.

"According to all the books I've read..."

"Ah, the books."
"Yes, the books, they say that about the third month."

"Are you going to find out, or let it be a suprise?"

"I want to know so badly!"

The two girls laughed, the conversation lightened the mood a little. She couldn't talk like this with Molly, she got this...almost disappointed look on her face and said, "That's nice dear." Hermione always felt instantly guilty and ended up making some lame excuse to get out of the room. With Ginny, she could talk about all the happy or strange things she was expeirencing.

"What about Ron? How is he dealing with all this? He dosn't talk much anymore."

"I know, he's really stressed out. He wants to be here, but he knows Harry can't handle all this You-Know-Who searching alone."

Ron tried not to bring attention to himself as he walked up the creaky steps of the Hogs Head.

"Second room on the right, here it is." He turned the door handle, but before he was two steps into the room, he was knocked off his feet. "Bloody hell, Harry it's me!" Ron yelled as he was taken to the ground by his best mate.

"Oh, sorry. What took you so long?" Harry stood and helped Ron up.

"Long? I apparated right after you!"

"Well, anyway..." Harry turned back to Lupin who was sitting at an old table that looked to have been burt and than scrubbed to death. "You said in your letter that you had something important..."

"I did." Lupin confirmed than pulled a scrap of parchment out of his pocket.

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"It's a map...one of the werewolves tends to spill certain things when he's been drinking, and although I would have cared not to know how to seduce a house elf, I finnally got something useful out of him."

Lupin slid the map across the table at the boys, than took it back quickly,"Shouldn't we wait for Hermione?"

Harry sighed and looked over at Ron who had gone suddenly stiff. "Er...well..."

"It's okay, I don't mind." Ron shook his head and brought his face to Lupins,"Hermione is staying at The Burrow now."

"Oh, now boys, she's a big girl you know that she can protect herself..."

"She's pregnant."

"Oh, oh my."

Before Lupin or Harry could say anything more Ron spoke, "So tell us about this map"

Lupin hesitated a little but gave in. "One of the caves that houses more of the "upscale" werewolves, Greyback and such, is being HEAVILY gaurded. I also heard that since Dumbledore's death there has been a lot of re-arranging."

"Re-aranging how?" Harry asked, glancing over the map.

"Putting people in odd places, such as this cave. There is definitly something in there, and although it may not be a Horcrux, it's definitly something of interest."

"How many are gaurding it?" Ron asked, feeling a strong dislike for werewolves after his brother Bill was mangaled by one.

"I'm not sure, I'll keep working on this one, Rishab, to see if he knows anything else."

"Right, thanks." They both shook the hand of their former professor and turned to leave.

"Oh, Ron."

"Yeah?" He turned his head around to see Lupin smiling at him.

"Congratulations."

A/N: For Sagutcheway-06 who wanted to know if I could put some more description into how Hermione became pregnant...Next chapter will be all flashbacks from that time. Alternating between Ron and Hermione.

:) Hope you like!