Chapter VIII:
Studying for N.E.W.T's and studying for having a baby were two very time consuming occupations which seemed to battle it out for Hermione's time. Around her room, books were balanced precariously containing information on how to mix a perfect Draught of Living Death and another on how to swaddle a child. Better not get those instructions mixed up. She was actually thankful for the BAM classes now that they directly related to her, and most of sixth and seventh year- it seemed like three quarters of the girls were pregnant by now. They were all doing the maths to see if they could get maternity leave from end of year exams, but the Ministry seemed to have returned the pairings so that by the time they got them even those who started trying straight away would be due at the earliest at the end of June or early July, when most of the exams were done. Ginny was in that position- she and Blaise had 'gotten to know each other' as soon as they'd received their letters, seeing little point to wait until they were officially married. Her friend's bump was pretty pronounced by now but apparently life was actually easier in the second trimester. The nausea was gone and her sex drive was back with a passion- more than enough description for Hermione. Personally, she was feeling a little blue about how surprisingly stellar a father Malfoy was proving to be to their fake baby. She'd thought this child would be her companion to keep her sane in a house full of people that hated her but it seemed that, if he got on as well with the real baby as he did with the doll, he would be the one their child ran to for comfort. She had never planned to be an obsessive stay-at-home mum, but that didn't mean she didn't want to be a good mum! One that her kids-kid- didn't see as utterly inadequate! When they handed the doll back after a month it reported that both its parents had treated it well, but Malfoy had been the one that had given it the best emotional support. She was so frustrated she'd been panicking and studying non-stop, so that she'd barely seen the friends she'd missed so much over Christmas, until they staged an intervention.
Whilst everyone else ate breakfast, she was thumbing through another childcare book from the new section added to the library, when Harry swiped it out from under her nose. "Hey!" She exclaimed, reaching out for it as he slid it into his bag and Ron pushed a plate containing a full English under her nose.
"You're eating for two now," he pointed out. "And you're going to need a lot of energy today."
"Why?" She questioned suspiciously, although she picked up a fork and jabbed a sausage, she was starving now that they brought attention to it. Neither of them would answer her questions, saying that it was a surprise.
After they'd eaten they dragged her down the grounds, to the Quidditch pitch, where they were greeted by a mixed cohort of Slytherins and Gryffindors, plus Luna. Hermione ooked at them confusedly, surprised to see them all together willingly. "Why do I need energy to watch you guys ride around on brooms?"
"Because you're going to be the one riding around on a broom!" Declared Ron with fervent delight. Oh no.
She shook her head. Flying was a lesson she'd never mastered. "I'm carrying a life."
"That's why Madame Pomfrey set up a giant inflatable mattress in case you girls fall," announced Neville, as if that solved everything. The ridiculousness of a giant bouncy castle floor made Hermione burst out laughing, and the other girls joined her too, but the boys, and Ginny, had their broomsticks out and were handing them each one as well.
"Apparently exercise is super important for pregnancies," explained Harry knowledgeably.
His wife raised a dangerous manicured eyebrow. "Are you calling me fat?"
"Of course not babe!" They all cringed at the pet name, but Daphne just arched closer to him expectantly. "You're the skinniest pregnant woman I've ever seen!" As a reward for the compliment she kissed him on the cheek, again evoking disgusted expressions.
"Sally-Anne refused to participate," said Ron pointedly. His wife was standing a few feet away from him nursing her stomach, looking quite bored to be here at all. "So Luna volunteered to be an honorary Gryffindor to make up the numbers."
"I didn't know that was an option!" Hermione started but her two best friends each grabbed an arm and wrestled her onto the field before she could join Ron's wife.
"Prepare for utter destruction, mudblood," challenged Pansy, which actually invigorated Hermione to get on that broom and go.
"Woah!" She cried out as she tipped sideways, but it wasn't actually as bad as she remembered once she got her balance. She was designated to be keeper, probably so that she didn't fall off her broom zipping around and could just stay in the goal instead. Harry and Seamus were the beaters with Luna, Neville and Ron the chasers, and Ginny took on her ex's position of seeker. On the other team, Ginny competed with the ultra-focused Pansy, swooping around the sky hurling insults at each other. Hermione let herself get distracted by them momentarily because the other players were all down by Nott's end of the court but when she looked back to the main action her heart gave a startled leap because Daphne was throwing a quaggle, or whatever they were called, right at her. She supposed the blonde could have thrown it into one of the other two hoops than the one Hermione was in front of, which made guarding even harder than the football she'd suffered through in PE, but clearly she wanted to make her feel inadequate!
The Slytherins cheered and whooped as it flew right past her, and she resolved that she would stop the next one. Of course, that was a lot easier said than done when Zabini faked like he was going to throw it in the top one, so she flew up there, and then switched direction at the last minute. When Malfoy tried to score though, she knew she couldn't let him past if she wanted to retain any form of dignity. She steeled her expression and latched onto him, moving uncertainly up and down as she tried to determine where he would go. She was starting to feel sick, and it wasn't from the pregnancy nor the loop the loop she was currently doing. His cold, focused eyes reminded her too much of that night. As the quaffle came towards her she outstretched her hands above her head, realising she was at the wrong goal but determined to do this anyway. The ball landed in her hands with a rough, victorious thud, and she grinned dizzily, but her teammates were yelling in warning rather than joy. She looked up just in time for a heavy black mass to smash into her.
Yelling, swearing, blaming. That was Ron, she thought, cursing every Slytherin there. Nott was defending the two beaters, saying it wasn't them, and both Millicent and Goyle were sounding their agreement in their innocence, the girl Hermione had once tried to take on the appearance of sounding off that she would admit it if she was responsible. It was a rather great idea to take out the keeper and leave the goals free. Her eyes fluttered, but she clenched them shut stubbornly like she used to do when she was five in the car and she didn't want her parents to talk to her. She was pretty sure they never believed her, but they did leave her alone. No such luck today. Someone said they needed to get her up to the hospital wing, suggesting levitation but another voice, with an audible scowl asked if they wanted her head to get smashed open. They came towards her and she opened her eyes, just a slither, to see Malfoy about to pick her up.
Scrambling away ineffectively on the bouncy floor beneath her she shrieked "no! No! Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" Everyone's eyes snapped to him, even his friends looked suspicious. She felt tears prickling at her eyes and cursed the pregnancy hormones. If she cried right now in front of all these people, especially the ones wearing green and silver, she was going to ground this baby as soon as it was born. Malfoy took a step back, looking at her with something she couldn't decipher in his eyes. It wasn't threatening. It was more like... hurt? He had no right to be hurt. Evidently he knew this because the expression disappeared as quickly as it had shown up. "I can walk," she argued, getting woozily to her feet. Her friends rushed forwards to help her up.
They took her up to the hospital wing, where it appeared she just had a minor concussion. His friends had long since disappeared but Malfoy insisted on staying until it was ascertained that the baby was alright. Neither Harry, Ron nor Ginny left until he had, the three of them each telling her in their own words that she could tell them if he'd done something to her. She knew they'd be watching him much more closely now and she felt an absurd sense of guilt. Just because he cared about the baby it didn't mean he cared about her. He'd shown that. But something in her still felt bad about reacting to him like she had. Not that it meant she trusted him. He was still a deadly viper in her book, he probably always would be.
