Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter series. Well, I own hardcover copies of the books... but you know what I mean. This story is totally fictional.

Author's Note: Sorry, no action yet. Ho-hum. Hey, I just noticed the last chapter has exactly 777 words. Maybe I'll have good luck! :D

Here's chapter six.


Chapter 6 - Ron's Confrontation

The first class of the next day was Transfiguration. The students were to practice turning buttons into bluebirds. Hermione wasn't concentrating and couldn't get it right, even though she had practically mastered the spell just the other day. The best she could get at the end of class was a dumb little brown bird. It hopped around on her desk and made sharp chirps until she had a splitting headache.

In Potions, Hermione kept feeling nervous that Snape had noticed the many ingredients missing from his stores. Indeed, he looked a little more mean and accusing than usual. She didn't raise her hand, and nothing happened during that class.

From there the three friends went outside to Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was outside his hut, tending to what looked like a baby gargoyle in a short pen.

"Don' worry, 'e can't fly jus' yet. Yer fine jus' long as ye don' reach in an ask fer trouble," Hagrid said, tossing a little dead bird into the pen, probably from the Transfiguration class earlier that day. The gargoyle crawled over and pecked hungrily at it.

"Now then, open yer books to the chapter on gargoyles," he shouted over the grotesque chewing noises, to the crowd of students. They stroked the spines of their growling textbooks to keep them from biting when they were opened. As Hagrid began explaining gargoyles' natural habitats, Hermione kept glancing at the tree on a hill a way off, under which she had spent a good part of last night. She stared right at the place where the grass was matted down slightly.

She shook her head and tried to pay attention to the lesson. Opening her book, Hagrid continued, "Gargoyles take residence on old buildings, and can change the color of their skin to match their surroundings. They prey on small birds tha' land on 'em thinkin' they're jus' part o' the building."

The gargoyle hiccupped and looked up, staring straight up at Hermione. She buried her face in the book.


Walking back up to the Gryffindor common room after dinner, Hermione didn't respond when the pictures lining the staircases greeted her. She didn't mean to be rude; she was too caught up in her own thinking to notice.

She, Harry, Ron, Seamus and Neville were walking up in a group. When they had all reached the portrait of the fat lady, the group stopped.

"Password?" the lady asked. Nobody spoke.

"What's the password, Hermione?" Seamus said after a moment.

Hermione looked up.

"What?" She realized where she was. "… Oh, sorry … I don't know." She said awkwardly, not believing she couldn't remember this week's password. She had been thinking hard and she hadn't gotten her thoughts together yet.

"Well, none of us know. We thought you did," Seamus said.

"It's pretty much your job to know!" Ron said impatiently.

"No," she insisted. "It isn't. You guys just cannot be so dependent on me. I'm not perfect one hundred percent of the time!"

"It's been your entire life goal to be perfect! Now we're all going to spend the night in the hall." Ron huffed.

Percy Weasley strode to the front of the group.

"Tea and crumpets," he said to the lady, and the portrait-door swung open. Ron was first to go in, Hermione trailing at the end of the group.

In the common room, Ron grabbed Hermione by her book bag before she could go into the girls' dormitory. He pulled her over to the fireplace.

"What is going on with you today?" he demanded .

"What do you mean?" Hermione tried to look nonchalant. It apparently didn't work.

"Something is wrong with you. You haven't been acting like yourself this entire day."

Hermione knew she'd have to give him an excuse, or Ron would never let her go. "I'm… feeling really stressed out."

"Why." Hermione started to say something, but Ron interrupted, "Exams aren't for ages. You-know-who hasn't been sighted anywhere for a while. It seems like this year at Hogwarts might just turn out normal!"

Hermione's guilt was reaching a level too high for her to bear. If Ron found out what had happened last night, he would just die. Or worse, kill Harry, then die, leaving Hermione to live in shame the rest of her life.

"Okay, okay. I didn't want to tell you. It's…I'm just having feminine issues."

Ron paled and stepped back. His hand went up to rub his head, and he looked away uncomfortably.

"Oh, uh sorry. I… I hope you feel better…" He turned, muttered inaudibly and, embarrassed, speed-walked out of the common room, almost overturning a chair in the process.

"Works like a charm," Hermione said to herself, glad to get Ron off her back.


I hope I haven't bored you out of your mind yet. Hermione takes the test in the next chapter, I promise! (Yeah, most pregnancy fan fictions have the test in the first chapter. Maybe a bad choice on my part?) Please Review! Thanks!