They had decided to wait with the payback. They wanted to lull the twins into a false sense of security first, to make revenge even sweeter when it came.

Hermione, however, had bigger problems. She sought Ginny out one evening in her dorm.

"Gin, I have to tell someone. I'm pregnant."

Ginny looked shocked, but also relieved. "I'm not the only one, then?"

It was Hermione's turn to look shocked. "What?"

"I'm carrying Harry's baby."

"And I'm carrying Ron's. Do we tell them?"

Ginny thought for a moment. "No. Not yet. If we spring it on them, they'll freak out, and we'll be raising the babies on our own. I think we should go to Madame Pomfrey. She can advise us and keep it secret. Come on."

Poppy Pomfrey was very surprised when they knocked on her door claiming to need confidential advice. But she was even more surprised when they told her what their condition was and who the fathers were.

"But I thought Hermione was dating Harry? And aren't you dating Mr Malfoy?"

"Yes. And yes. But something happened at the dance." Ginny looked sad and Hermione put her arm around her.

"Either something's going on in secret that went terribly awry…or this wasn't meant to happen. If it was secret, then Hermione should be furious with Harry and Ginny, and Ginny should be severely annoyed with her brother and Hermione. But neither of you are so I'm very confused."

"It's all the twins fault. They tampered with out drinks at the ball and everyone ended up in the wrong bed, all naked, and without much memory of how they got there." Hermione was almost crying now. "That's how we got into this mess. And we don't know if we should tell them. I mean, it is huge."

Ron walked into the ward without them noticing.

"I see your predicament. It's a huge decision, for everybody involved. What's Draco gonna say? And what about Luna? Isn't she dating Ron? Look, I can help you through the whole process. This has happened before at this school. It's not the first time a student got pregnant at school, nor the last. But I will support you all the way, even if the father's refuse to. You've got yourself into a really tangled web here haven't you?"

"Its all Fred and George's fault."

"I know Ginny. But I suggest you do some decent evaluating quickly. It's not to late if you don't want to keep the babies."

"We can't do that. These are living children, our children."

"I know Hermione, but you think otherwise. I can teach you all the things you need to know about childbirth and raising children. Although I don't suppose you need much of that, Ginny."

"I'm the youngest. I don't know anything about raising children. Oh god! What's mum gonna say? She'll kill us!"

Poppy laughed. "I was at school with Molly, and I don't think she will. She's getting at least two grandchildren. She'll love it. And she'll be the perfect grandmother."

There was a thud from near the door of the ward and they turned to see Ron out cold on the floor.

"Something tells me that he knows."

When he came round he was on one of the beds and Hermione, Ginny, Poppy and Harry were grouped around him looking worried.

"What happened?" he said very groggily.

"I sent you here to collect something from Madame Pomfrey and Ginny came to fetch me saying you'd passed out." Harry gave him an inquisitive look asking silently what happened.

Ron turned and glared at Hermione and Ginny. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Hermione paused. "Because we were afraid. We didn't want you to freak out."

"So, in about eight months you were going to surprise us with the babies?!"

"We were gonna tell you when the time was right."

"Wait…what?" Harry looked extremely confused as he watched the interlude between his best friends.

"Ginny, why don't you tell him?"

"Harry, Hermione and I are pregnant, and you and Ron are the fathers."

Everyone watched him carefully. They weren't sure what he would do, whether he would pass out like Ron, flip out and start shouting or run screaming from the ward.

"How?" he said after a long, excruciating silence.

"Do I have to explain it all to you again? Birds and the bees, again?" Hermione looked at him as she tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

"We didn't plan it obviously, but Hermione and I were at the ideal moment for pregnancy in our menstrual cycles. And we had unprotected sex. And Ron and I are Weasley's, an extremely potent family." Ginny snuffled and Hermione went over to her and cuddled her.

"Look, you two can be as involved as you want. We won't push you into anything you don't want. I know this complicates things horribly, because by rights I should be carrying Harry's baby instead of Ron's. But think about it, in eight months you'll both be dads. The wrong mothers, but nevertheless, there'll be two children who look up to you in awe. Harry, you know what it was like growing up without a father, do you want that to happen with yours?" Hermione finished looking at him shyly.

Harry looked from her to Ron who grinned. "I know what it was like growing up without parents, and I wouldn't force that on anyone. You've got me. And if Ron chooses not to help, I'll be father to both those little babies. Ron?"

"Not that we need to make the Weasley clan bigger, but I'll stand by you both too. And this way we get to be a family in the actual, rather than by adoption. One big family." His face fell. "Not another one!"

Everyone chuckled and they all moved in for a big cuddle around the bed.

Later Ron started panicking. Only Harry saw it, because they didn't want the girls to see.

Ron paced in the boys bathroom and fumbled with a packet of cigarettes. "We can't do this! No, Harry. This is wrong; we shouldn't be fathers at our age. I can't do it. I can't be a dad."

"Ron, I stand by with what I said before, I didn't have a dad or a mum growing up and I refuse to let any child associated with me go through that. I really wish Hermione was carrying my child, but if we stick together through this we will prevail. What's our motto?"

"Together forever."

"Exactly. We stuck to it through everything. We faced Voldy and won because of it. We can do this. Ron, I think we'll be great dads."

"Fine, but I'm not telling mum about this."

"You're such a wimp Ron! We'll need the help of both of your parents to get through this. Fine, I'll tell them the whole story. I bet they'll be pleased."

Harry wrote a letter to them and a few days later Hedwig returned. She was carrying a howler.

"Oh great."