Pregnant
Hermione Apparated Viktor and herself directly to the bedroom they'd been sharing at her house. He looked at her in surprise. "That was unexpected," he said with a slow smile as he realized where they were. "Did you miss me?"
"You've no idea," she said.
"I've missed you too," he said, sliding his hands under her shirt and pressing her back toward the bed as he kissed her. She trembled in his arms and let him think it was from excitement.
She didn't sleep much that night. Not only was Viktor particularly amorous, but even after he'd eventually fallen asleep, she lay awake for a long time staring at the ceiling. For the first time since she'd found out she was pregnant, she was completely relieved that the baby wasn't Ron's. He'd been totally out of control tonight, and she could tell by the way he was moving that he was drunk. The thought left her hollow. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They'd survived so much only to be left with so little. Viktor stirred next to her and rolled over. He was a good man. She wondered how he would handle the news of the pregnancy. Her stomach clenched at the thought of telling him. She'd do it tomorrow. She couldn't keep putting it off.
xXx
The next day they had just returned from the market and were unpacking the bags when Viktor handed Hermione a bottle of dish soap and she said. "I'm pregnant." She hadn't meant to blurt it out like that but the words were out before she could stop them.
He looked at her and she looked back at him, her face crumpling. "It is not mine?" he asked quietly.
She shook her head and couldn't look at him anymore.
"Ron's?" he asked in a hollow voice.
She shook her head again.
He stumbled backward into one of the kitchen chairs. "Todor?" he gasped.
She nodded and sat opposite him, tears streaming down her face. "What am I going to do?"
She was trembling. He reached across the table and took her hand. "What do you want to do?"
She placed a hand over her belly. "This isn't anything I would have planned, but…I can't just…" She looked up at him with glassy eyes. "I don't have any other family."
He nodded grimly. "How long have you…?"
"I knew last week, but you were away and I didn't want to do this by Owlpost."
He took a deep breath. "We will have to talk to Todor. Make arrangements to see him. The team has a hiatus in a couple of months. We can go then to Bulgaria."
Hermione nodded. "You're not leaving?" she looked away from him.
He gripped her hand tighter. "No. You will not be alone."
She leaned down and pressed her cheek against his hand. "Thank you," she whispered. He rested his other hand on top of her head and they sat like that in silence for a long time. Finally, Viktor sat back in his chair. He shook his head. "We have to tell Todor, but he is in no condition to be a father. We should raise the baby as ours. No one but the three of us have to know."
Hermione glanced at him and sat up. "You would do that?"
"How else can this work?"
"Well," Hermione said, a lump forming in her throat, "I could…I mean you don't…it's not your baby."
He gave her a sad smile. "I took you to Amsterdam. This is as much my responsibility as it is yours or Todor's. Besides, if you have this baby, people will assume it is mine. What am I going to do, let people think I abandoned my child and his mother?"
"You could say she isn't yours." She found his unwavering willingness to take responsibility for what happened in Amsterdam both endearing and wrong-headed.
"She?"
Hermione nodded. "It's a girl. Simple spell."
He smiled, but then it faded. "I cannot say she's not mine without making you look—"
"Like a slag," she finished for him.
He shook his head. "You are not that person."
A tear slipped down her cheek. "The good readers of Witch Weekly would probably disagree."
He took her hand. "Hermione."
She shook her head and wiped her face with the back of her other hand. "Don't."
"We will talk to Todor, but she will be ours. Yours and mine. No one will question that," he said firmly. "We will work out the rest as we go. Do not worry. It will be fine."
She nodded, but she knew he was wrong this time. Nothing was fine.
xXx
Over the next couple of months, Hermione immersed herself in work and in the evenings began to learn Bulgarian since they would be going there soon enough. She didn't like Viktor always having to translate everything for her. It pleased him that she was learning his language and he helped her in the evenings after practice. After a while, they started exclusively speaking Bulgarian at home. On the weekends, she attended his games and they continued on as if nothing was different, but her body began to change. Eventually, she reached a point where she was only wearing traditional wizarding robes, because she'd started to show, and the old-style robes could hide a lot of sins. Since most of the other Unspeakables all wore traditional robes at work, no one questioned her choice to wear them as well. As the trip to Bulgaria grew nearer, she became increasingly anxious. She felt the loss of her mother acutely and often dreamed of talking to her. On her way home from work one day, she stopped in the Second-Hand Book shop and bought The Expectant Witch. She was reading it when Viktor arrived home from practice.
"What are you reading," he asked as he came into the parlor.
She held up the book.
He smiled at her. "You are studying how to be pregnant? That is so like you."
His comment cut her though. "I don't have anyone to ask," she said tightly, blinking back tears.
"Hey," Viktor said, sitting next to her. "I was only teasing. I did not mean to hurt you."
She shook her head. "It's fine."
"It is not," he said, taking her hand. "I am sorry. Did something happen?"
She closed the book. "It's nothing."
He leaned into her. "Tell me."
"I just. I kept feeling…it's the weirdest sensation. It's like something swimming around in there."
Viktor smiled. "You can feel her moving?"
"Sometimes. I wasn't sure if maybe it was just my stomach rumbling, but it's not like that. Anyway, the book describes it and says it's the baby."
He put his hand on her belly. "Can I feel?"
She smiled at him. "Not yet, that'll take a few more weeks."
"It is exciting, no?"
She nodded. "It is, but also kind of scary. What if Todor doesn't agree to our plan?"
Viktor tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "He will. Do not worry."
"I can't help it. We're leaving tomorrow, and we haven't really talked about what happens after we talk to Todor."
Viktor sighed. "Stop worrying. One thing at a time Hermione. We will talk to Todor as soon as we get there. He is expecting us. He says he has been clean for two weeks. I just hope this does not make him go back."
"You think it will?" She didn't want to be the reason for Todor to backslide again.
"I do not know. It seems any excuse will do, but he and Pietra are talking again, so perhaps this time he will stay clean."
She laced her fingers with his. "I hope so."
He nodded. "Me too."
xXx
Hermione was expecting to lose her breakfast after the Portkey to Sophia, but she managed to avoid vomiting which she considered a personal triumph.
"You are okay?" Viktor said, reaching for her.
She blew out a relieved breath. "Yes. I'm fine."
Viktor took her hand and they stepped out of the narrow alley where they'd landed. "Todor lives in his studio." They walked two blocks down a sidewalk that ran alongside a busy street. Viktor turned down an alley and led her up a narrow, wrought iron staircase. He knocked on a purple door at the top of the stairs.
Todor opened the door. "Viktor! Come in, come in!"
Viktor stepped back and held his arm out to usher Hermione into the room.
"Hermione," Todor said, extending his hand.
She shook it, although given why she was there, the formality of the greeting struck her as somewhat absurd. She also couldn't help but notice that Viktor and Todor hadn't greeted each other with anything near the same level of enthusiasm they'd shown in Amsterdam. She knew they'd been writing to each other, but Viktor had never shared the contents of any of the letters, and she hadn't wanted to pry.
"Have a seat," Todor said, indicating a threadbare blue velvet sofa. "Can I get you a coffee or perhaps tea for your little English queen?" he asked in Bulgarian.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Just water for me, thanks," she answered in Bulgarian.
Todor raised his eyebrows at Viktor, who shrugged. "She is a quick study," he said, clearly amused by Todor's surprise.
Viktor and Hermione sat on the sofa while Todor fussed with a moka pot in the little kitchenette at the back of the studio. Hermione looked around. The space was cluttered with the tools of his trade, cameras, tubes of paint, brushes, and rolls of canvas. It was an organized mess. On the other side of the room was an unmade double bed with piles of old quilts on top of it. There was a door between the bed and the kitchenette that she assumed led to the bathroom. She blew out a nervous breath. Viktor gave her a sympathetic look and reached for her hand. She wove her fingers with his, grateful for the gesture. A few minutes later, Todor came over with two small cups and a glass on a battered tray. He set it on the coffee table before taking one of the cups and sitting in a worn red wing chair across from them.
"So," Todor said. "Are we talking photos or a portrait?"
"What?" Hermione said, glancing between the two men.
"Is that not why you are here?" Todor said, his brow wrinkling in confusion. "I assumed you would want something to commemorate your new team," he said to Viktor. "Or perhaps a photo of the two of you. No?"
Viktor cleared his throat. "No. Although both of those things would be nice, but that is not why we are here. I am sorry. I should have realized you would assume that."
Todor set down his cup. "Then why are you here?"
Viktor scrubbed a hand down his face.
Hermione sighed. "I'm pregnant."
Todor's face split into a grin. "Congratulations!" Neither of them smiled back at him. "Hey, it is a new millennium. So, you are not married, a child is always cause for celebration, yes?"
Viktor scratched at the stubble on his cheek. "Yes, but it is not mine."
"Oh," Todor said, now thoroughly confused. "I do not understand."
Hermione glared at Viktor and wondered why was he cocking this up so badly? "I got pregnant in Amsterdam."
Todor's eyes widened. "Oh."
"You're the father," she said. "I can show you the spell if you'd like to see for yourself."
Todor put a hand over his eyes and then dragged it down to cover his mouth as he looked from one of them to the other. Finally, he slowly lowered his hand. "It has been months since Amsterdam, why are you only telling me now?"
"We wanted to tell you in person," Viktor said. "I had to wait for a break in my schedule."
"I…um…I…" Todor was at a loss for words. He shook his head. He looked at Hermione. "You want to have this baby? My baby? Why? You hardly know me."
"Todor," Viktor said, anger creeping into his voice.
Hermione put a soothing hand on Viktor's forearm. "It's a fair question. Look, Todor, I certainly would never have planned this, but given that it happened, I thought long and hard about that. And the truth is I seriously considered terminating this pregnancy, but ultimately, I don't want to. She's part of me. I don't have any other family. I don't want to waste the opportunity to build a new one."
"She?" Todor said, one corner of his mouth lifting into a smile.
"Yes," Hermione said, smiling back.
Todor's face fell. "I'm in no position to help you." He held up his hands. "You're looking at all my worldly possessions. I have a little money in the bank. I could—"
Hermione shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I didn't come here looking for money."
Todor looked at Viktor.
"We would like to raise her as our own, but we did not want to lie to you about her true parentage," Viktor said solemnly.
"But you would like to lie to the rest of the world?" Todor said.
"Yes," Hermione said.
"If you agree," Viktor continued, "I will have my attorney here in Sophia draw up the papers so that you will terminate your parental rights, leaving Hermione sole custody."
"What about you?" Todor asked him.
"What about me?" Viktor said, scowling.
"What are you going to do? Are you two getting married? Will you adopt the baby?"
"If you agree, then there will be no need for me to adopt her because everyone will assume she is mine, and the birth certificate in England will reflect that. I was going to ask Hermione to go to the courthouse with me to get a marriage certificate, and then we can pick out rings this afternoon. We can get married before we leave Sofia."
Hermione's mouth dropped open. This was the first she'd heard about any of that.
Viktor looked at her. "If that is okay with you."
She nodded, not sure if it was okay exactly, but sure that it was the smart thing to do. The situation would be so much less scandalous if they returned to England already married. Of course, there would still be gossip about when the baby was conceived, but it would be so much less if they were married. "May I use your loo?" she asked.
"Of course," Todor said, pointing to the door on the other side of the room.
Hermione used the toilet for what felt like the millionth time that day thanks to the baby's insistence on leaning on her bladder. She could hear the men talking in low voices on the other side of the door, but she'd couldn't make out what they were saying. My kingdom for an extendable ear, she thought. As she washed her hands she stared at herself in the tiny mirror over the sink. She'd straightened her hair the way Viktor liked it and she wore it loose and down. It was odd to see herself without her curls, like looking at a different person. In a way she felt like a different person. This wasn't her. Hermione Granger didn't get pregnant at a drug fueled orgy. Hermione Granger didn't have a stranger's baby. Hermione Granger didn't marry a man she wasn't in love with. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she clenched her jaw and faced her image again. Hermione Granger took responsibility for her mistakes. Hermione Granger would have a family again even if she had to make it herself. Viktor was a good man, a man worth loving. Maybe she wasn't in love with him, but she could love him, already loved him after a fashion. He was a good friend, these days, her only friend. They could do this. They respected each other. They had a lot in common. There were worse things to build a marriage on. So what if this wasn't the life she'd pictured for herself? If the war taught her nothing else, it had taught her that life was messy, that the best laid plans could fall apart. Fine. New plan. She'd helped defeat Voldemort. She could get married and raise a child and she could do it with Viktor, and if need be, without him. She had a home and a job. So what, if things had derailed for a bit? Hermione Granger could get them back on track. She dried her hands and stepped out of the lavatory.
Todor was pacing and smoking a cigarette, which he stubbed out when he saw her. She resumed her seat next to Viktor. Todor paced back and forth a couple more times before stopping and looking at them. "All right," he said. "I will do this, but I have three conditions."
Viktor frowned. "What?"
"First, Pietra must never know about Amsterdam, so she cannot ever know that your baby is mine."
"Fine," Viktor said. Hermione nodded.
"Second," Todor continued, "I want a photo."
Viktor scowled at him. "What kind of photo?"
"Of Hermione, where you can see she is pregnant."
"What?" Viktor said. "No."
"I'm not asking for a nude, just to be able to see her belly."
"No," Viktor said, getting to his feet. "Absolutely not."
"Viktor," Hermione said, grabbing his hand. "Wait."
"No!" Viktor said, turning to her.
She sighed.
"Why would you want that?" He turned back to Todor. "Why?"
Todor frowned sadly. "Because that is all I will get of the pregnancy. Nothing else. I will not feel the baby kick or see her born. I am willing to give up all rights to her, but I would like this. Just for me. No one else will ever see it."
"Viktor," Hermione said again.
"No," Viktor said, but much less vociferously this time.
"It's fine," Hermione said. "He's giving up a lot. This is a small thing. I don't mind."
Viktor looked from one to the other, clearly irritated with both of them. He sat back down. "Fine. What is the third thing?"
"I want you back in my life," Todor said. "I have not seen you in months. Not since Amsterdam. I am sorry I invited you there. I am sorry about what happened. All of it. I swear to you, I have been clean for almost three weeks and before that I was on Methadone from a Muggle clinic. I do not want anything like what happened there to happen again, but I miss you. You have always been my best friend Viktor. I want that back. I would like Hermione to meet Pietra. I would like us to go to that cabin on the Black Sea again or to the Mediterranean. Wherever you want. Bring Hermione and the baby. It will be safe, I promise. Just please, do not stay away from me anymore."
Viktor blew out a frustrated breath and looked at Hermione. She leaned into him and whispered in his ear, "I know you miss him. As long as he stays clean, what would it hurt?"
Viktor kissed her cheek. "You can be very kind, you know that?"
She pressed her lips to his ear. "Turn this into something good."
"Fine. We agree to your terms. I will contact my solicitor and we will bring the papers for you to sign as soon as he has them ready. You can take the photo then too."
"No." Todor said. "I want to take it today. The light is good right now. We might not have good light when the papers are ready."
Viktor looked at Hermione.
"It's fine," she said. "What do you want me to do?"
"What do you have in your luggage that will show your belly?" Todor asked.
"Nothing. The goal has been to hide it, not show it."
"Ah," Todor said. "Hmm."
"Wait a minute, I have an idea," Hermione said. "Viktor can I borrow one of your shirts."
"Sure," he said, taking their shrunken luggage out of his pocket and casting the spell to bring it back to normal size. He opened his bag and she pulled a white dress shirt out of it. "I'll only be a minute," she said, taking it into the lavatory.
"Hermione," Todor said, before she closed the door. "Can you make your hair the other way?"
"You mean curly?"
"Yes," Todor said.
She looked at Viktor who shrugged.
"All right," she said and closed the door.
"You get one shot," Viktor said to Todor. "Just one."
"I am very good. I only need one," Todor said.
When Hermione stepped out of the bathroom, both men smiled. Her hair fell in soft ringlets over her shoulders and down her back. She'd taken off the traditional robes she'd been wearing, so she was only in her underwear and Viktor's shirt. She'd turned up the sleeves and only the buttons across her breasts were buttoned, leaving the rest of the shirt open to show off her rounded belly. "Will this work?"
Todor smiled. "Yes. Perfect. Come over here." He had her stand on seamless paper that hung off a roll fastened to the wall. Hermione waited in her bare feet while Todor got his camera ready. Finally, he said, "Look up."
She lifted her head and gave him a shy smile. He snapped the photo. "Perfect."
"You are done?" Viktor said.
"Yes," Todor said.
"Great," Hermione said. "I'll just get dressed then."
In a quiet voice, Viktor said to Todor. "I would like a copy of that."
"I thought you might," Todor said. "You know, with her hair like that, she looks a lot like-"
"Stop," Viktor said.
Todor nodded. "Sorry."
xXx
When Hermione emerged from the lavatory again, her hair was up in a messy bun and she was back in traditional wizarding robes and boots.
"We should go," Viktor said, "if we're going to apply for the marriage license today." Hermione put his shirt back in his luggage and cast the spell to shrink the bag before handing it to Viktor. He put it in his jacket pocket. "I will send an owl when the papers are ready," he told Todor. Viktor and Hermione both hugged Todor before they left.
The walk to the Bulgarian equivalent of Diagon Alley was just three short blocks. They walked through the front door of an abandoned garage and to the back of the building. Viktor tapped the wall with his wand and the concrete blocks folded back to form a door. They stepped through and walked down an alley past a car park.
"Our Ministry of Magic building is at the end of the street. It shouldn't take long to apply for the license. Then there is a jewelry—" He didn't finish the sentence as a flash of light dropped him to the ground. Instinctively, Hermione ducked down and hurried for the cover of a large concrete planter at the entrance to the carpark. She pulled her wand as she ran. There was another flash of light and this time she returned fire and dropped one of their attackers. She duck-walked to the other end of the planter and peered around the edge. A flash of blue light blasted a chunk of concrete out of the wall above her head. She sent another spell at the source of the blue light and heard someone scream. She was turning to go back toward Viktor when a flash of red light hit her from the back and she crumbled to the ground. The last thing she heard was someone's whoop of joy. They had her.
