Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, and I take no credit for anything created by J. K. Rowling.

Author's Note: Here it is, the chapter where the story really begins. Conveniently, it is the seventh chapter, a lucky magical number. :) Maybe I should have started the story here. Oh well.

Enjoy Chapter Seven!


Chapter 7 – The Test/Luna's Kindness

When almost a week had passed, Hermione was more nervous than before. The secret wasn't out and Ron left her alone, but she was shaky anyway. She stole handfuls of ingredients from Snape's precious potions cabinet during the night, and brewed all of them in the abandoned girls' bathroom daily after dinner.

Every evening she went there, Moaning Myrtle floated up and demanded to know what she was making. Hermione was sure Myrtle thought that she was up to something really naughty, and was spending all her time purposely driving her nuts.

The fourth evening she went, Myrtle was already floating out of her toilet cubicle.

"Well, well, it's my best friend Hermione, back to cook up some more mysterious potions." She gave Hermione a nasty smile, and dived down to meet her at the cauldron sitting on the floor between the sinks and the tall windows. Myrtle lay down on the grimy floor, propping her head on her arms.

One fairly easy potion-brewing later, Hermione poured a good amount of it in a flask, and ran it under water to cool it down. She took out a couple other bottles of potion, uncorked them, and swallowed the contents. After downing the one that she had just brewed, she packed up her things. Tonight, she would be able to use the pregnancy test spell.

Hours later, Hermione was back in the unused girls' restroom, but the sun had set, and the windows let through a very faint glow. There was just enough light to see around. Myrtle had dived back into her toilet long ago.

The spell in the pink book was helpful, but it said that all results were different, and that she had to watch very carefully. It had a chart of colors and what each one meant.

Hermione took her wand out and pointed it at her stomach.

"Femina Proscenda Ostendia," she said clearly, her hand trembling. Her wand tip began to glow white. As she watched, a pinpoint of light shone right in the middle of her stomach. She scooted sideways, thinking it was a beam of moonlight focused on her. When the light didn't move, she pulled up her shirt and stared at her bare skin. A brightness was beginning to grow inside her. It started white like the light on her wand, but changed to gold as it slowly became brighter. Her skin tingled, like it had in the moonlight the other night, but it was mixed with a warm sensation this time. She touched her skin lightly as she lit up like a lantern from the inside, the center of the light right in her midsection. From gold the light transformed to a glowing peach-pink, and Hermione could swear she started to feel fantastic warmth deep in her belly. After a whole minute of this dazzling light-show in her stomach, it faded away, leaving her in near blackness.

Hermione sat there too amazed to move for a while. Then she began to feel anxious again, and lit her wand to see what this meant in the book.

Congratulations, it said in cursive. You are a mother!

Hermione leaned forward and vomited.


Shocked, Hermione cried for a long time in the girls' bathroom. After that she walked aimlessly around the castle until she sat on a bench in a hall by the courtyard. She couldn't believe that none of the potions or spells she used had worked.

Getting her thoughts together, Hermione laid out her options. The first way to go was obvious – to carry the child through all nine months. She could only imagine the torment she'd have to go through, carrying a child while also attending school. By the end she'd probably be a wreck. At that point she'd also have to decide whether to keep it or to give it up for adoption. She could do this, or get a magical abortion. That would be a quicker solution, but she wouldn't be saved from any of the shame - the entire school would still notice if she went to the hospital wing and got that done. Thinking about it didn't make her feel any better – she only got the feeling that her brains were scrambled and fried.

She started sobbing again, so she didn't notice when Luna Lovegood walked up quietly. Luna put her hand softly on the crying girl's shoulder, and Hermione looked up.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" she asked kindly. She was wearing a strange dress that looked like white overalls, but with a flowing skirt on the bottom half. The front of the dress had a bunny head with enormous googly eyes sewn into it.

Hermione wanted burst out yelling and tell her everything, but she kept her mouth shut and took a deep breath before she could make a scene.

"It's nothing, really." She sniffled. "Why are you out of bed?"

Luna looked slowly up at the ceiling. "Oh, I was just wandering. I felt like something was wrong," she said, then sat down beside Hermione. "If you tell me what's got you down, I might be able to help." Her voice was calm and gentle, and it floated through the air, quiet enough that nobody could possibly overhear.

"Well…" Luna was Hermione's second best friend, after Ginny. She already knew that she couldn't confide in Ginny – everyone knew that the redhead had a crush on Harry, and she would hate Hermione for what she had done. Luna was the one person she could trust to keep a secret, other than Harry.

She sighed. "Luna, don't tell anybody."

Luna nodded, looking at her solemnly.

"I think I'm pregnant."

"You're sure?" Luna didn't sound disbelieving at all.

"Yes."

Luna gave her a supportive hug as Hermione began to break down in tears again. When she calmed down enough to see through her tears, she felt bad about getting the back of Luna's dress wet. After a while, Luna asked, "Who is the father?"

Hesitating, Hermione finally said, "Harry. We … did it on the castle grounds a few nights ago. Ginny is never going to talk to me again once she finds out."

"Why would she be so upset that you're with Harry now?"

"Because Ginny likes Harry! You know that!"

Luna shook her head. "She's been dating Dean Thomas for months. She didn't tell you?"

"No. She didn't." Hermione grimaced. "I think she'd still be angry even now."

"I don't really think so. She's really forgiving, and she's never had a bad temper. I could ask her if she still loves Harry - do you want me to do that?"

Luna looked like a darling little fawn with her huge, shining eyes. Nodding, Hermione wiped her face. "What am I supposed to do?"

Luna took Hermione's hand. "If it was me, I would keep my child. I would take it as a blessing." She broke off and looked at Hermione's midsection with the smallest smile. "But this is your choice. Do you really love Harry?"

"Yes."

"Have you told him yet?"

"No. I will as soon as I see him."

"Okay, good. Are you going to tell the headmaster too?"

"I don't know. At least not right now. I don't want to."

Luna gave a little amused expression. "They're going to notice eventually. That is, if you keep it."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You should tell Harry first though. It's best to take this one step at a time." She gave Hermione another tight hug, then they went back to the common room.


I finally got some reviews, so now I can do FAN RESPONSES! :D

Shamzika:

Thank you very much for your reviews! I'm glad you like the story so far. Yes, I intended Harry and Hermione (and all their friends) to be around 14/15 years old. Any younger and that would be really sick of me. Sirius' present is pretty cool, and it's not something a guy would normally send to another guy. As for the Granger thing, I totally agree about her parents reacting unrealistically. I'll do my best to make it realistic. Thanks again!

Updates will be slower from now on, because I haven't written the next chapters yet. I'm not gonna give up though! Stay tuned for when Hermione tells Harry in Chapter Eight!

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I really appreciate it! Thx :P