Hermione was grateful when the Knight Bus came to an abrupt stop in a quiet London alleyway and the armchair she was sat in slammed into the one next to it. "It's the 21st Century, why don't we have a form of magical transportation that doesn't make you feel unwell…" She grumbled to herself as she picked up her bag and stepped off the large purple bus. She took in her surroundings, breathing a sigh of relief.
There had been a brief moment, when the bus had stopped in Wrexham to let off an elderly witch with five bags of shopping, where Hermione had thought about getting off the bus and just running away from it all. However, all her tired imagination could conjure up was a small tent filled with tiny little Weasley's running around and she'd shuddered and settled deeper into her seat.
Hermione glanced at her watch as she walked the few hundred yards to the flat. It was only just midday. She couldn't believe how much had happened in the five hours since she'd woken up, but it would mean that she could have the flat to herself for a few hours before Ron and Harry came home - if they even made it back tonight.
She was hoping that the quiet of the flat would give her time to get her thoughts in order and as she wearily climbed the stairs to the front door, her mind drifted to the lists of pros and cons she had already started drafting in her head. She let herself in, dumping her bag under the coat rack with the collection of the boys abandoned trainers and shoes.
Hermione surveyed the flat with a sigh; it was a mess but it still felt like home to her. She dug out the green vial Madam Pomfrey had given her and took a couple of drops with a slice of toast, grateful that the boys had left something edible in the kitchen.
Stretching slightly, she filled a glass with water before wandering through to the bedroom she shared with Ron. It was equally as messy in here, but for once she found herself just not caring. She'd have to remember to tell Ron that later. She stripped down, leaving her clothes among Ron's on the floor and looked at herself in the floor length mirror, trying to see if her body was showing any signs of the pregnancy.
Satisfied her body was the same as it was this morning, Hermione dug out her favourite pair of Ron's pyjamas; grateful that they were clean. They acted like a comfort blanket as she climbed into bed and reached for the book she'd left here at Christmas. She'd read for an hour or so, she'd decided before getting on with those lists. She didn't even get to the end of the first chapter before falling asleep.
Hours later, Ron burst through the door of the flat with Harry. Both wizards were in good spirits, having spent most of the evening drinking in the Leaky Cauldron with Neville and their other colleagues. Harry almost walked into the back of Ron as he froze in the living room.
Ron pulled out his wand quickly, using Lumos to survey the room. "Someone's here…" He frowned. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something didn't feel right in the flat.
Harry pulled out his wand, his training heightening his sense. "I'll go check the bedrooms…" He started carefully down the corridor while Ron checked out a nearby cupboard. He passed Ron's bedroom and glanced in carefully, letting out a loud laugh at the sight.
"Oy Ron!" He called for his flat mate gently. "I've found your intruder…."
Ron hurried over to Harry and peered into the room. Hermione was laying sprawled like a starfish over his bed. He laughed too. "How much did we drink tonight? Is she real?"
"I think she's real…" Harry grinned at Ron. "I wonder if she brought Ginny with her…" He turned excitedly and wandered towards his room, swaying slightly.
Hermione was woken by the feel of a weight joining her in bed. She felt her hair being pushed out of the way and soft kisses being pressed against the back of her neck. The scent of Ron was stronger now, mixed with a faint undertone of Firewhisky. She smiled to herself slightly and kept her eyes closed for just a little longer, savouring the feeling. Her stomach lurched as she thought of how he will react to the news. What if he finished with her? What if he wanted her to keep it, have her give up school and move into somewhere like the Burrow. Not that she didn't like the Burrow, of course, but this is not how she envisioned her life going. She let out a soft sigh and opened her eyes, slowly turning towards him.
Ron smiled as he spotted Hermione stir. "Hey you! This is a nice surprise…"
Hermione couldn't help but smile back. She'd always found his smiles infectious, like everything would end up being okay. She carefully pushed herself up to sit next to him in bed, picking up his hand to play with his fingers. "I missed you…"
"Ah yeah…" Ron looked down at his lap, the tips of his ears turning pink. "I'm sorry about my no-show the other day. Harry and I turned up at training and then all of a sudden we were out tracking some rogue Death Eaters along the cost of Cornwall. It's been pretty grim – imagine the time we spent in the tent and then add 8 other men!" He laughed and played with one of her curls. "I'll try and remember to send an owl next time! Apparently it's tradition to go for a few drinks after a mission, to debrief and unwind, you know? If I knew you were here, I would have come straight home…"
Hermione smiled and stretched. "Mmmm it's okay, apparently I needed the sleep. I've been home since lunch time!"
"Hermione! It's 10 o'clock!" He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. "Are you okay? Not that I'm unhappy about getting home and finding you in my bed; quite the opposite actually…" He grinned, letting his hand stroke her side. "But shouldn't you be in school?"
Hermione pondered the question, wondering how much she should tell him tonight. Although he wasn't slurring his words, she could smell the alcohol on his breath and she wondered just how much he'd had to drink that night. Suddenly, she was vaguely aware that he was only in his boxers and he had gotten quite muscular in the month or two since she'd last seen him. She ran her fingers over his stomach and made the decision that if she were about to ruin their lives, she'd at least get a decent last night out of him. Anyway, he was in a good mood and she really didn't want to spoil that. Instead of answering him, she pressed a hard kiss against his lips. Right now, she just needed him and her desire was fighting every other thought out of her head. She kissed him again and climbed onto his lap. She pushed down his boxers and was grateful when he responded without any further questions.
Later, Ron would retort that Hermione definitely had her way with him that night. It was like she couldn't get enough of him. Not that he was complaining, he would go on more missions if he got home to her in this mood. She was now sleeping peacefully in his arms; pressed tightly to his side and every time he tried to move, she pulled him back. Ron noted that it wasn't like Hermione to be so clingy and it scared him. He sighed and kissed the top of her head before settling down to try and get some sleep – a million worries racing through his brain.
Ron must have eventually dozed off. He was woken up suddenly when Hermione pushed herself out of his arms and rushed to the bathroom. He checked the clock; it was 7am and the sun was only just starting to rise. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking a bit confused before realising she was throwing up. He got out of bed with a sigh, pulling on his boxers and a top. He picked up another t-shirt from the pile on the floor and followed her into the bathroom.
Carefully, he knelt down next to her and waited for a pause before pulling the t-shirt over her head. He took a few breaths as he did, trying his hardest not to throw up. He thought working with George on the Puking Pastilles last year might have helped him feel immune to it, but he still couldn't stand vomit. He concentrated hard instead of trying to comfort Hermione.
Eventually, the sickness eased and he carefully pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"You're scaring me 'Mione… please tell me what's going on? Why are you not at Hogwarts?"
Hermione closed her eyes, her head pressed tight against his chest. She spoke in a quiet voice, and Ron was sure he didn't hear her properly.
"I'm pregnant, Ron."
He pulled away to look down at her, letting out a light laugh but he soon stopped as he realised the look on her face meant she wasn't joking.
"Shit…" He ran his hand over his forehead, getting up quickly and leaving the bathroom.
Hermione followed him closely. "Ron, you can't walk away from this. We need to talk about it…"
Ron turned on his heel. "You said it was okay that we didn't do the charm. You were taking the pill and it would all be okay!" He spat out, but immediately felt ashamed as Hermione scoffed.
"Yes, because this is all of my responsibility Ron!" Hermione focused on pulling on more clothes and keeping her cool. She was so close to losing her mind – not just with Ron, but with the whole absurd situation. "I wasn't the only person having sex that night; or last night come to think of it!" She looked at him pointedly.
"I just meant… we thought we were okay…"
"Well we weren't and this is where we find ourselves!"
Ron flinched slightly at her bluntness. Suddenly, every part of his brain was screaming at him to run away from the situation and he had to concentrate really hard to stay where he was. He reminded himself that he had promised her he wouldn't run away again. He felt like his thoughts were going a million miles an hour and he tried his best to make sense of the situation. Eventually, he spoke again; summoning everything he'd learnt so far at training to keep his voice even.
"What are we going to do?"
Hermione's temper was derailed by his calmness and his use of 'we' instead of 'you'. She hadn't been expecting it and although she thought in her head that she knew what she wanted to do, she wasn't sure. She moved to the window and opened it as far as she could; she was suddenly finding it very hard to breath.
"We barely speak to each other at the moment; and I'm not complaining about that because it's working for us. We're both so busy…" She leant against the windowsill and watched him. "If we were to keep it, how would it work? You're away and I'm in school. We're both doing what we really want to at the moment. And before you even suggest it, you are not stopping Auror training… I'm not going to take that from you…"
"But you know I would if I had to…"
"I know you would…" Hermione smiled slightly. "But I don't want to give up us right now…" She felt a tear travel over her cheek and she wiped it away frustratedly. "This flat, my studies, your training. That is what is important to us…"
Ron took a step towards her. He reached out to wipe more tears from her cheek and let her rest her head against his hand.
"We're only 19 – well you're 19 I still have a week… We've already had to grow up far too quickly and this is supposed to be our time to just enjoy life…"
She nodded and turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand. "I do want your children… all 10 of them eventually…" Hermione cautiously closed the gap between them, feeling relieved as he wrapped his arms around her. "This just isn't the time to start…"
Ron nodded into her hair and held her to him. He breathed in her scent, amazed at how strong she was being. "What do we do now?"
Hermione pulled away from him slightly. "Actually, I'm really hungry…" She laughed softly. "I've barely eaten all week…"
Ron matched her smile. "But what about the…?" He couldn't bring himself to say it, so instead he glanced pointedly down at her stomach.
"We go to St. Mungo's, this afternoon or tomorrow. I'm a bit worried we'll get recognised but the only other options are to brew a potion myself or go to a muggle clinic and since doing things the muggle way got us into this mess…" Hermione trailed off with a small sigh.
Ron sighed as well and rubbed his forehead like he was trying to put together a plan. "Okay, why don't you go get a shower and I'll send an owl to work; I'm sure if I explain things they'll let me take some time off. Then I'll go across the road and get us some bagels from that Muggle place you like?" He reluctantly let go of her and started to get changed. "Harry's around, he'll look after you if you start to feel sick again. He's probably sulking that you didn't bring Ginny with you…"
"What should we tell him?" Hermione watched Ron as he scooped some coins out of a drawer and picked up his wand.
"That Ginny has left him for Dean?!" Ron raised his eyebrows slightly, grinning as Hermione let out another small laugh. "Honestly 'Mione? He's our best friend; we can trust him with anything…"
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Okay… I'll see what comes up…"
"If that's what you want. Go on, go get a shower; I won't be long…" He left the bedroom with a backwards worried glance. Hermione seemed to be taking this all rather too well.