It had been a long day and an even longer night. George kicked off his shoes and eased back into the comfort of his bed. He was too exhausted to even bother undressing so he just lay across the covers fully dressed. After he had explained to his mother that he and Hermione were only in the very early stages of trying and that no one knew about their relationship save Fred, he had extracted a desperate promise from her not to mention it to anyone. Not his father, not any of his siblings, especially not Hermione.

Despite the fact that she'd agreed, he had still spent the rest of the evening running around, intercepting his mother whenever she turned in Hermione's direction and watching Hermione for any hint that she had discovered what he had done. He hardly had a moment to think straight, trying to concentrate on so many different things at once. He had finally felt safe to leave after Hermione and Fred had left shortly before midnight, much to his mother's confusion. She had demanded to know why Hermione wasn't leaving with him. George had muttered something about not rousing suspicions. If she hadn't been overjoyed by the prospect of more grandchildren he didn't doubt that he would have been tied to some chair and interrogated. He had deliberatley avoided - as best he could - thoughts on just why he had spent the night running around like a mand man. Now he gratefully let his mind go blank, a trait he had perfected years ago and he sank blissfully into sleep.

Flood. God was punishing her for wanting to have a baby out of wedlock. Her apartment was flooded and the large amount of people evacuating her building for the night to stay with family and friends allowed her no recourse but to do the same. If she had stayed while everyone left it would raise suspicions. Magic couldn't help her. Gathering a few essentials in a bag and, cursing faulty Muggle plumbing, Hermione joined the throng of people pouring out into the streets, waiting for lifts or hailing taxi's. A few headed to the cars and Hermione was one of them.

She hardly ever used her car. More often than not it sat in the street for weeks at a time, untouched, until the contents of Hermione's kitchen dwindled to nothing or she travelled out of the city to see her family. They preferred she visit them by Muggle means and Hermione would rather drive herself than take the train. But it wasn't to her parents she was headed now, it was to her second home; the Burrow.

George stirred in his sleep and rolled over, burrowing deeper into his pillow, trying to ignore the knocking in his head. No, wait, the knocking was coming from the door. He dragged his wrist in front of his face and read the blurry numbers on his watch; 3.23 am.

Groaning, George lurched out of bed, stumbling through his apartment to the front door.

"Who is it?" he demanded, wand at the ready. Why, though, he did not know. No enemy he knew of knocked.

"It's me," Hermione said through the door.

George's heart rose into his throat then sunk down to his stomach leaving him feeling sick. Warily he opened the door, trying to gauge her mood. It wasn't good.

"What have you done?" she demanded and pushed her way past him. George closed the door behind her, banging his head against it a couple of times. He turned around to see Hermione pacing around this apartment. She had turned on the lights and George couldn't deny her beauty when her mood was piqued like this. If he was going to go through was her insane scheme of turning them into parents he might as well admit that she was beautiful, even if he did only to himself.

"Imagine my surprise," she began, turning on him, eyes flashing, "when after my entire apartment building floods, I drive first out of London, then leaving my car in a dodgy parking garage in the middle of the night, I Apparate to the Burrow, wake your parents, seek refuge and then, then I'm told something by your mother that came and I'm sure you will agree, as bit of a shock. Just a little one." She laughed.

He knew what was coming. Damn his big mouth and curse his mother's enthusiasm.

"Hermione -" he began but she cut him off.

"'Congratulations, Hermione!' she said, 'George asked me not to say anything but I just can't help myself. A baby! I'm so excited.'" Hermione imitated his mother precisely. His lips quirked but he quickly tamped down his humour.

She finally sat down and before he could raise his arms, she threw a cushion at his head.

"Ow," he said. Hermione smiled but it faded quickly. He moved across the room to sit down on the couch next to her.

"What does this mean?" she asked and she had every right to, he just didn't have an answer yet. He knew he was going to say yes, but he just couldn't get the words out, couldn't get his head around it. He was still so unsure.

He shook his head. Sighed, shrugged, anything but gave her the answers he didn't have.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Fuck! I fucked up so bad, Hermione. I'm sorry." She flinched at his language but sat still. Now it was George's turn to stand and pace. "It just came out. I just said it. We were talking about you and she thought you were with Fred and it just came out. I'm sorry."

Her face was unreadable, he didn't have a single clue what she was feeling. She had been angry but now her face was just blank.

What was he going to do? What were they going to do? He had committed to it now. Whether he wanted to or not, he couldn't in good honour back out now. He was going to be a father and Hermione was going to be the mother to his child. He pulled at his hair, still pacing, while Hermione just sat silently, watching him.

George glanced at her. How calm, how collected she seemed now that she had vented at him. He was sure her insides must be in turmoil if his were anything to go by but she just sat there, watching him with her big brown eyes. Beautiful eyes really, George thought throwing another glance her way. She barely moved except for her eyes that tracked his progress across the room.

"Stop watching me!' he demanded. "I'm going to do it! I just need to think!"

"Sorry," she murmured lowering her gaze to her lap.

He was growing more panicked by the moment. The weight of his decision - be it made with conscious or subconscious intent - was pressing heavily on him and he could feel himself rocketing out of control. His pacing picked up speed before screeching to a halt as Hermione stood and moved in front of him.

"Calm," she whispered before putting one hand on his chest, the other at the back of his head. She rose onto her toes and, pulling his head down to meet hers, she pressed her lips against his.

After the shock wore off, which took a moment or two, George's arms came up to wrap around Hermione's waist and he kissed her back. She tasted so good, of his father's birthday cake and oranges. He pulled her against his body and she melted against him. Desire flared and sparked between them, and blissfully his mind went blank of everything but the witch in his arms, the taste of her and how he could manoeuvre her around the couch, to his bedroom. Her mouth opened beneath his and he met her tongue with his, fighting for control before letting her take the lead.

He was still trying to think of a suave way to ask Hermione to his room when she broke the kiss and took his hand, leading him there on her own.

He smiled saucily at her and followed eagerly. She put her hand up to stop him.

"We're just going to talk," she warned him.

He smirked. "We could have talked out here."

Her cheeks blushed prettily. "Well, maybe a bit of play. Then talk." She looked at him sternly a moment before a smile broke across her face and she tugged on his hand, pulling him into the room.

They stood in the darkness together for a moment before George cupped her cheek in his rough hand. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath his fingertips. He drew her face up to his, pausing a moment with her sweet breath washing over his face before lowering his head the rest of the distance and touched his lips to hers.

Hermione stood there, letting George ravish her mouth and her body rejoiced. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest and her hand on George's neck could feel his pulse racing beneath her fingers.

A baby, a baby, a baby. George, George, George, her heart cried. Her body shivered as he pushed her back onto his bed. He broke the kiss as she sat on the mattress.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"Where are you going?"

"To get a protection potion."

Her brow furrowed. "Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?" Hermione asked.

"Of what?" George asked in return.

"Of making a baby," Hermione answered, her heart sinking.

"You want to start tonight?"

She sighed and rose from the bed, heading back into the living room.

"Hermione, wait." George followed her.

"Look, George, I don't want to marry you. After I get pregnant I don't imagine myself moving in with you and spending rainy days making love, eating food naked in bed -"

George did now.

"- and being a couple. I like you, you're a good friend but we need to be sensible about this. When we have sex and it will be sex, we won't make love, I will be doing it to get pregnant. I don't want to complicate things."

She picked up her bag from where she had dropped it by the couch.

"Owl me when you fully come to terms with this. I don't want to rush you. I'll be at Fred's." She went to him and kissed him on the cheek. "And thank you. You don't realise just what you will be giving me."

With that she exited the room, leaving him with the taste of her in his mouth and a tight throbbing in his pants. There was no denying he wanted Hermione and he would have her, he decided. Not just in his bed, but in his life. His spaciously home suddenly seemed very small and very empty. His mind cleared and he knew what he wanted. He wanted Hermione as not just as the mother to his kid but as his woman. He wanted to be the one she went to when her home flooded or her car broke down, not that he knew anything about cars. Most of all he didn't want her running to Fred. It seemed that heady emotion, jealousy, was again rearing its ugly head and steering his decisions. But he didn't mind this time because, like Hermione had demanded of him, he was finally calm.