I know I left you with a cliffhanger, but I didn't want to leave you too long. Here you go, more on the baby issue! Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

Ella had laughed George off when he told her his crazy idea. Her mouth had gone dry and her palms had begun to sweat. "We've only married a few weeks," she had laughed, trying to keep her cool.

"I know, but it would be good for us, Ella. Don't you think so?" He asked seriously.

"I suppose we'll see." Ella had then proceeded to use her body to distract her husband. And he being a full-blooded male couldn't keep up the discussion much longer.

Later, though, when George was breathing heavily and evenly, asleep, by her side she began to think his shocking idea over. Ella knew that she wasn't ready for such a huge responsibility.

She didn't know how or why George thought he was ready either. He hardly took care of himself. But he seemed as if he had put a great deal of thought into the matter and thought they could handle it.

Financially they could. Money wasn't a problem for them. The joke shop was thriving and Ella only worked because she wanted to. They would be fine if she did stay at home with a baby.

Emotionally thought, that was another story. They could buy a child everything it would ever want, but could they support another life any other way?

Two weeks later Ella was back at Hogwarts and she and George hadn't discussed the baby issue any farther. He had sensed her uncertainty and hadn't pushed the issue.

"Well don't you look extra happy to be here?" Neville asked on the first day back.

"What?" Ella smiled at him, even though she didn't feel quite right.

"I don't know, you just look cheerful." Neville shrugged.

George had also complimented Ella on how good she looked a couple of days before. However, she felt terrible and couldn't manage to eat one bite.

Her day was calm enough, but when Ella finally got home and caught a whiff of whatever George was cooking her stomach turned over and she clamped a hand to her mouth. Her bag fell with a loud thud and she took off down the hallway.

"Ella?" George called after her. He followed her after a minute and found her in the half bath rinsing her mouth out with water.

"Love, are you alright?" He asked from the doorway.

She nodded. "Just a stomach bug I would imagine," Ella muttered.

"Why don't you go upstairs and lie down. I'll bring you something more agreeable." George wrapped an arm around her his wife and walked with her to the stairs.

Ella climbed them slowly and got into the ugliest, most comfortable pajamas she had. She was sure she had never felt so miserable in her whole life. She had never been sick much, but it felt as if her body was rebelling against her.

"Hey," George said quietly. He carried a tray of soup and crackers with a clear, fizzing drink. "This is what Mum used to give us when we felt bad."

Ella ate a little, but started to feel queasy again. George moved the tray and put a hand on her forehead. "You don't feel hot," he said. His hand moved to Ella's cheek and she pushed her face into it. "Do you want me to let Professor McGonagall know that you won't be there tomorrow?"

Ella shook her head. "I can't miss the second day."

"Well, love, you can't very well teach if you feel so terrible." George gave her a soft smile.

Ella sighed. "Well then I suppose you should let her know."

George nodded and stood. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left with the tray

Ella went back to work the day after she had stayed home. She still didn't feel top notch, but she couldn't stay home so much in the first week of the term.

After lunch, though, Ella felt so exhausted that she spent her free period sleeping on the sofa in the professors' lounge. She had planned to wake in time for her next class, but that didn't end up working out.

"Professor Weasley," someone said urgently.

Ella's eyes opened and she looked around the room, confused. Professor McGonagall was standing above her.

"Professor Weasley, did you forget about your duties as a professor? Namely attending your own classes," the old woman said shortly.

Ella stood up quickly, but became terribly dizzy. "Bloody hell." She put a hand to her head.

"Ella," the headmistress spoke gently, using her first name. "Perhaps you should go see Poppy."

"What about my class?"

"I'll take over for the rest of the day." Professor McGonagall smiled at the prospect of being back in a classroom.

Ella merely nodded and made her way to the hospital wing. She entered the room and surprisingly there weren't any students in there. Then again, it was only the third day of school.

"Ah, Professor Weasley, I've got something that'll be safe for you to help with the queasiness," Madam Pomfrey said, bustling around.

"Safe for me?" Ella asked.

"Oh yes dear. You can't just drink any potion in your condition." She smiled kindly at the young woman.

"What exactly is my condition?" Ella asked, confused.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Ella with the same look of confusion. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" She asked.

Ella's mouth dropped open. "I'm what?" She exclaimed.

"You didn't know? Dearie, I could tell from the minute I saw you the other day," Poppy said with a light chuckle.

Ella sat down heavily on the nearest bed. She put her head in her hands.

Madam Pomfrey sat next to her, sensing that Ella's being pregnant might not be the best news the young woman had ever heard. "We can do some tests if you'd like, just to make sure."

A few hours later Ella was sitting motionless at the kitchen table staring blankly at the wall. Madam Pomfrey had said that she had begun to show signs early, that she was only four to six along, which meant that she had already been pregnant when George had approached her with his idea. Ella was in shock.

"Ella?" George called, as he came in the front door.

He peeked in the kitchen but almost didn't see her in her statuesque state. "Ella?" He said carefully. She didn't say anything as he walked to her side. When she didn't move at all he became alarmed. "Ella! What's wrong?"

When she didn't answer again he grabbed her upper arms tightly and turned her on the chair to face him.

Ella finally met his eyes with her veiled green ones. "I'm pregnant," she whispered, just a hint of the fear she felt evident in her voice.

George's face broke into a huge grin and he picked Ella up in a tight bear hug, spinning her around in his joy. He finally put her down when he realized that she wasn't sharing his excitement.

"You're not happy." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Ella shook her head and George's face went to stone. "We're not ready for this, George. I don't know how to deal with a baby. I can't do this," Ella explained.

George's excitement went quickly to anger, as his moods usually did. There was no middle ground for him and his moods were volatile. He stepped away from her and looked down at her with an enraged look in his usual kind, brown eyes. "Well you can't change it now," he snapped before stomping out of the kitchen leaving Ella alone behind him.

For those of you who are my angst lovers I tossed some in for you! I hope you guys loved it! Let me know what you thought!

Happy reading,

Avonmora