Disclaimer: But Ms. Rowling said I could have them!...Alright, no she didn't...Happy, now?

Chapter Eight: Her Decision

Harry half-ran towards her room still wiping his mouth. Gasping for breath he knocked quickly on the painting frame. "Sorry, " he said to the young witch who sat in the picture when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Come in, Harry." Hermione stated causing the Seventh year to smile.

"And how did you know that it was me?" Harry queried as he pecked her sweetly on the cheek.

"Who else would walk away from lunch and willing enter a room where the 'dreaded Potions Master' could be?"

"True enough, I guess. Not even Ron would come with me. How was the lesson?"

"Same as yours only a few hours later and included catering from Dobby... Hungry?" She offered a plate of sandwiches to Harry, who shook his head.

"Ate too fast. Thanks anyway."

"Perhaps, you should just eat your lunch here with Miss Granger from now on instead," Snape stepped out of the shadows created by a large bookshelf. "Having a second run of your Potions lesson may improve your marks."

"Bloody hell! Why didn't you tell me he was still here?"

"Professor Snape wanted to make sure that it was you."

Harry joined Hermione in her oversized chair. He sat behind her wrapping his arms around her as Snape turned to leave.

"Until tomorrow, Miss Granger... and Potter you may want to consider what I just mentioned to you, especially now that you no longer have your most utilized resource available."

"Can't get enough of me, can you?" Hermione giggled into her glass of pumpkin juice at Harry's comment.

"Actually Potter, I was hoping to avoid an additional year with you."

Knowing he was bested, Harry leaned back in a slight sulk.

"Thank you Professor...For everything that you've done." Hermione smiled as Snape responded with a slight nod before leaving the room.

"I think he likes you." Harry teased whispering into her ear. Hermione stood quickly but not before he noticed her flinch. "I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," she answered meekly.

"You say that so often now. I don't think either of us really believe it." Vibrant green eyes peered upward to look into amber eyes.

"I love you, Harry."

A genuine smile broke across the young man's face. "I love you too, Hermione."

"You know after every Potions lesson, Professor Snape says that he will see me tomorrow and we both know that he's referring to here in my quarters. He never asks or assumes that I might be ready."

"Yeah, well when you faint and shake like you were having a fit the second you touched the base of the dungeon stairs, he probably figured that it might take a while."

"Been a little over two weeks already."

"Pretty decent of him...Just for the record I still can't stand the bloke."

"For the record I still don't blame you. Poor Neville, he's beside himself now." Hermione stared at the floor almost in guilt. Harry opened his arms to her and she slid into the comfort of his embrace. No cologne, yet he had a scent that she knew by heart. Harry always smelt of outdoors on a sweet spring day. Through the years he gotten extremely tall, standing at six feet even. Instead of looking thin as he once did, he now looked defined and agile with arms that felt so strong as he held her close.

Hermione could not get a decent night of sleep unless Harry was there sleeping in her bed. On Hermione's second night back in her room, Harry started off sleeping in the bed that she had transfigured for Ron. Within her first hour of deep sleep, Hermione found herself screaming awake. Without hesitation, Harry jumped into her bed and rocked her back to sleep. Since then Hermione never had to ask where Harry would sleep. He would walk out of the restroom wearing oversized pajama bottoms and occasionally a white tank top. The new Head Boy would flash an "everything will be alright" smile then slip under the covers and wrap himself around her. His arms would encircle her in a chaste cuddle as if to protect her from the nightmares. He worked wonders simply by existing for her.

Sighing, Hermione looked into Harry's eyes to face her truest fear. "Harry... I'm pregnant."

He had a million things to say to prepare himself in case these words were said. Not one came to his mind at this moment. He was numb. Time stopped. Then he was suddenly aware of exactly how fast he had eaten lunch. Bolting from the chair, Harry headed for the toilet to heave out his entire stomach and possibly a lung. That was not practiced. The wizard rinsed his mouth with Hermione's mouthwash, making sure to actually gargle for the full minute for the first time in his life. He even rinsed a second time to prolong having to go back into the sitting room and face what he was positive to be a bad reaction to the atrocious one before.

She was sitting on the small sofa, staring at the table a few feet from her. He vomited, actually vomited. Hermione imagined a million reactions but that was not one of them. The young witch felt that she should have been crying but the tears refused to start. All she could do was sit and wait for Harry to hopefully return to the sitting room and not head out of the door.

Half a bottle of mouthwash later, Harry peered into the sitting room to see a dazed Hermione. Regret instantly washed over him. "Oh, Hermione!" He rushed to her side then dropped to his knees. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that! It was just a shock to me that's all."

"Harry, what am I going to do?"

Harry stood up and looked into her eyes. "Whatever you feel is right and it will be...because I'll support whatever decision you make... I'm here Hermione. I love you and I'm not going anywhere."

She imagined that reaction just never thought that she would actually hear it. "Harry, I know what I want to do I just don't know if I can do it."

"Of course you can! Just remember that I'm here. Ridiculously minty breath and all. Would you please tell me what you want to do?"

Despite the serious situation that she was in, Hermione chuckled. "First reaction: abortion. Final reaction: keep it."

Harry gulped loudly. "You mean having the baby then adoption or raising the baby."

"Raise it with complete love regardless of how the baby was conceived."

The inner defenseless orphan within him sighed in relief. The wizard took Hermione's left hand and kissed the ring on her finger. "God, I love you. I remember after Sirius died how you were there for me. Invited me to stay with you and your parents just two weeks into the summer until our sixth year started. You took me to France and Italy to try and lighten my spirits. It worked a bit. You held me when I needed you. Comforted me when I thought it wasn't possible. I loved you the second you kissed me after fifth year on the platform. I swore that I would take care of you for the rest of my life. There was no one else for me and there never will be.

"You reminded me that I wasn't alone. You give me the strength to know that I can defeat Voldemort. I'll never leave you, no matter what, just like you refused to. I don't know if you need me but God, I need you." Harry's emerald eyes flooded with tears. "Let me be there for you. Let me fulfill my oath. Just let me...Let me."

The tears that had been threatening to appear streamed from her eyes as she laughed her way into her fiance's arms. "Oh, yes, Harry! Of course I will." Both tumbled to the thick carpet of the floor, Hermione landing on Harry. "Sorry."

"It's alright but could you wiggle just a bit?" Harry's smile fell the second the joke escaped his lips. "That was a stupid thing to say." To his surprise, Hermione leaned over and kissed him passionately. "What was that for?" Harry asked, breathless.

"It's not a stupid thing to say. It's a harmless joke that I would have hit you for while giggling a month ago...I'm stronger than this. I know it. I understood it when I realized that I might have lost you. Draco Malfoy will not win this. He's never bested me before and he sure as hell won't start now. We're going to be fine."

"That's my girl." Harry smiled, arching his neck up to kiss her sweetly before the two stood and grabbed their books for their next lesson.

A/N: I added this chapter for a couple of reasons: 1) I really feel that Hermione is an incredibly strong person and good hearted, two of the reasons that I admire her character so much. 2) Of course we needed to know the course of action that Hermione was going to take. 3) Mason said that his gut reaction to the situation from Harry's POV would be to vomit but would be even more disturbed if abortion or adoption was considered for a child who is not fault and I thought that was a very honest and believable reaction. 4) explain why Harry and Hermione got together. Personal note: me likey reviews! I'm really motivated to keep going. I was going to post tomorrow but wrote this chapter and updated today under the order of a review (you know who you are- smiles) so far been updating every day and trying to keep that up. so till tomorrow!