Heyy! Told you that it would be a long time till I updated again...sorry.

I added to the last chapter, but it's still really short. In fact, it's the shortest chapter ever *cries in shame* I'm really sorry about that, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it? *smiles prettily*

Haha, so yeah, read the previous chapter for a bit more dialogue and stuff and then review if you haven't already *winks* I know you're out there, hell, I used to be one of them! But now I review each story I read, because I know how it makes the author feels. I'm really happy for all the new readers who have reviewed, please keep it up! *beams*

I have a *description* problem...

Nearly 600 reviews, how many will we get for this chapter? Show the love, as you always do : )

Love sent to: That Romantic. Sparkie3222, ShelbySarleslovesWWE4EVER, ManhattanStreetLights, BustyxxxxWizard, Ayriannah, dreadfuldelights, mellyjellybelly, MissRose2481, Lightning And Blossoms, Ashyia Francis Belladonna, 11xNaNx11, cullen's pet, cyn23, CFCRockAngel, Sesshoumaruluver01, CCCookiexC3, sweet-tang-honney, ForbiddenForest56, Mrs whitlock12897, Anastasia Snape, x8jessica8x, tfobmv18, jayd-n33, Dodyroo, xxxMissMalfoyxxx, Crossy, lilac9109, Malf0yL0VerKen, bunny08, Emeraldlia, Kiku18, caitlinlikestwilight, and Edward-Cullen-1.

Previously...

"So she is going to be back to normal?" Blaise asked, hopefully.

"That depends on your definition of normal, Mr Zabini." The nurse smiled weakly. "Miss Weasley here is....pregnant."

Chapter 25: The Truth

Blaise gasped in astonishment. He knelt down, and gripped one of Ginny's hands tightly. He stared at the love of his life, the woman who would give him a child. At that moment in time, he couldn't love her anymore. He was shocked but immensely proud and happy. I'm going to be a father... He didn't want to think of what everyone's reactions would be, but he also didn't care. All he wanted was for Ginny to wake up, and then they could celebrate the new life growing inside her.

Hermione felt her knees buckle and held onto Ron who was standing next to her. Ginny was pregnant? Hermione couldn't take it all in; but she knew that at least she hadn't the shock of finding out that Ginny was sexually active, like her mother. And for that, she was grateful.

"P-p-p-pregnant?" Mrs Weasley stuttered, staring at her seemingly innocent little girl.

"Yes. Luckily, with our advanced wizarding technology, I can tell you that she is only two weeks along. Some wizarding pregnancies show signs earlier than muggle pregnancies. Have you noticed any signs?" Madam Pomfrey asked Blaise, Ron and Hermione.

Ron shook his head, he was still processing the fact that his baby sister, was going to have a baby of her own.

Blaise glanced at Hermione and then said, "Well, she's been feeling emotional these past few days. She had an argument with Hermione today over something really trivial, and then burst into tears. We were really worried about her; she's not normally like that."

"And then tonight, she looked really pale, and tired," Hermione added. "I was getting her a drink before she collapsed. It all happened so quickly."

Madam Pomfrey nodded.

"Well, I'll keep her here tonight; I've given her a potion to help her sleep. She won't wake up until she is fully rested, and that will probably be sometime mid morning tomorrow. She has had a lot to deal with in a short space of time. She will start experiencing morning sickness in a few weeks. I advise you that you arrange for a Healer, so she can get to know Ginny sooner and monitor the situation. Is it alright to congratulate you on being a grandmother Mrs Weasley?"

"A grandmother!" Mrs Weasley paled. "Oh goodness no, please. I don't even want to think about it."

"I advise that you all sit down and discuss this when Ginny is awake tomorrow and you will know how she feels about it."

Blaise nodded, and then asked. "Can I stay with her tonight? I don't like being away from her."

Madam Pomfrey hesitated; she didn't usually allow guests to stay with her patients. But he could see how much Blaise cared about Ginny, and decided to allow it.

"Of course. You may take the bed next to her. I'll get some bedding for you."

She walked off into her office.

"Congratulations, Blaise," Hermione smiled. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks," beamed Blaise. "Obviously, I didn't expect this to happen so soon, but you can't change the past, and this baby is going to be the most spoiled child ever."

"I still don't understand," Mr Weasley frowned. "You two have known each other for two months yes? You haven't even had a family dinner at the Burrow yet...and you're now expecting a child? Surely, that's quite rushed..." he trailed off.

"I'm sorry sir, we should have been more careful," Blaise stood up to face his soon to be father in law. "We are in love though, and this child is most definitely wanted. I didn't think I'd fall in love with your daughter so quickly...but I did. Yes, I know it's fast but please, don't be mad at Ginny. If you need to place the blame somewhere, place it on me. It's my responsibility to be safe, but I guess we're too much in love and-"

"You don't need to go into details, Blaise. My ears, I'm afraid, will not take it."

Blaise laughed weakly. At that moment, Madam Pomfrey returned, with some sheets and blankets.

"Here you are," she said and magically made the bed.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

The door to the Hospital Wing opened, and Professor Dumbledore entered- having stayed in the Room of Requirement to help out Draco.

"Might I suggest that now you are all reassured, you take yourselves either to the Room of Requirement to see your friends, or to bed and rest from this eventful day? Mr and Mrs Weasley, along with Bill, Fleur, Angelina and George, you are all welcome to stay in the guest tower tonight. Then you can see Ginny early in the morning instead of having to travel home to a restless sleep and then travelling back here," Dumbledore said kindly.

Mr Weasley nodded, "that would be lovely. Thank you Dumbledore."

"No problem at all. If you'd like to accompany me then to the guest tower. The house elves have made up your beds so you will be able to go straight to bed if you wish. Then in the morning, we shall discuss this situation in more detail."

The six of them kissed Ginny on the forehead, said goodbye to Ron, Blaise and Hermione and then left the Hospital Wing.

"Are you going to stay here now?" Hermione asked Blaise.

Blaise nodded, "I meant what I said. I hate being away from her. I know it's stupid, we've only been together for two months for crying out loud, but it just feels right. I love her with all my heart and I never want to lose her. I even got disowned by my mother because I was marrying a Weasley. But I don't care. Ginny is my family, and we've got a child on the way. How could life get any better?"

Hermione saw Ron frown out of the corner of her eye. She ignored it, but Blaise saw.

"You got a problem, Ron?"

Ron blushed. "No...It's just; don't you think you're rushing into this? Like Dad said-"

"Ron!" Hermione cried exasperatedly. "Didn't you just hear what Blaise said? They love each other! Why is that so difficult to understand?"

"Because!" Ron replied angrily.

"Because? What sort of argument is that?" Hermione retorted, angrily. Why couldn't he be happy for his sister?

"Ugh," Ron groaned in frustration. "Just leave it."

"No. I'd like to know what's up with you as well," Blaise said, his eyes glinting.

Ron could see that he was backed into a corner.

"Fine. Fine! It's not exactly complicated- I just think that you're rushing into things. And besides it's Ginny we're talking about here. My baby sister. Don't I have a right to be a bit overprotective? She gets put with Zabini here and two months later she is knocked up! That's not right, at all. If you really loved her, you would make sure that she was kept safe, until you're ready and able to raise a child."

Then he pushed past Hermione and exited the room.

Hermione stood alone with Blaise.

"Huh..." Blaise remarked.

Hermione's anger had melted away. Yes, she didn't agree with what Ron had said, but now she could see where he was coming from. From Ron's perspective, his actions were justified. They just weren't true. It wasn't his problem; it wasn't his to deal with. It was about Ginny and Blaise in the end, they were the parents. Who was anyone to say that this baby was wrong?

"What you gonna do?" Blaise said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Hmm?" She asked, distracted.

"About your party. Are you going to have another one or what?"

"Oh...no, I don't think so. The main point was to celebrate our engagement. We did, even if it was cut a little short. Maybe next week we can have an evening in our room, just for the special ones. We can fix up the TV and get some DVD's somehow. Do you think Dumbledore will let us do that?"

Blaise laughed and replied, "Of course! Why wouldn't he?"

"Maybe we should be focusing on our schoolwork?"

"To hell with schoolwork! We deserve some relaxation; it's been so hectic lately. Especially now," he glanced at Ginny, his expression becoming gentler. "Anyway, you should get back to Draco. He'll be wondering what happened."

"Yes, that's a good idea. We'll see you in the morning then." Hermione hugged Blaise briefly goodbye, not finding it at all weird to be doing this. She wasn't like Ron, she could forget the past. It wasn't like she could change anything for crying out loud! Hermione made her way out of the Hospital Wing and returned to the room of requirement.

The door was open, and she heard voices coming from inside.

"Mother, please don't keep saying that," she heard Draco say tiredly. Hermione frowned, what were they talking about? Unintentionally, she leaned as close to the open door as possible. The room seemed to be aware of what Hermione was doing, and magnified the voices of Draco and Narcissa so she could hear without straining.

"But I need to get it through to you. You don't seem to understand, Draco darling. Hermione is not fit to be your wife; you must know that deep down. She is not part of the class that we come from-"

"Who cares anymore? Mother, I feel happier than I have in my entire life. She makes me feel sane, like I'm worth something. And I'm not going to let her go just because she doesn't have the right background. The society we were part of doesn't exist anymore, and there is no need for this blood status discrimination. I've changed, and I think that you need to as well."

"Oh please, have some sense. We didn't raise you to throw away your fortune like this. You must do what is best for the family."

"And how exactly is objecting to marry Hermione best for this family? Surely it will tarnish our name further, for being openly discriminating against Muggleborns? Wouldn't it show some respect and honour if I marry Hermione, as it shows that I don't care about what background someone has?"

"But in order to retain your fortune, you must marry a pureblood! It's tradition-"

"To hell with tradition! It's a new age, mother. I don't need money in order to be happy. I'm happy now, and that's because I love Hermione. I want to marry her; I want to have children with her. And you can't do anything to stop me. You can't bribe me with money, I don't want it. It's time someone said no to you mother. And I can't believe it's taken me so long to realise that."

With that, Draco walked out of the room. Hermione panicked and ran in the opposite direction. Then she stopped, and began walking back towards the room, as if she was just arriving at that moment.

"Hermione?"

Hermione blushed. She was never a very good liar. Draco was standing outside the room, his eyes bright. Narcissa, she guessed, was still in the room. Good, let her stay in there.

She ran back up to him and wrapped her arms round his neck, greeting him warmly. When she let go, his eyes had softened slightly, but she knew that he was onto her.

"Draco! Oh, you'll never guess! Ginny is pregnant!" Hermione blurted, wanting to steer the conversation away from her dodgy arrival.

"Gee thanks for giving me time to guess," Draco chuckled.

"Sorry, it's just...exciting! And scary at the same time of course, Ginny is sleeping now. We can go and see her in the morning."

"Where's Blaise?"

"In the Hospital Wing. He's staying with Ginny, he didn't want to be away from her- isn't that sweet?"

"What's going on? You're clearly trying very hard to avoid something...I can tell by the way you're looking at me."

"Me? Hide something? I don't know what you're talking about!" Hermione scoffed, avoiding his eyes.

"Hermione," Draco said sternly. "You're a terrible liar. Out with it or I guess... I'll just have... to force you to..." Draco ran his hand up her arm, and she shivered at his touch. Damn...she wasn't going to last if he kept that up.

"Nothing's wrong, honestly," she said quietly, concentrating on keeping her voice steady. Draco moved his hand up to her neck, and traced her collarbone lightly.

"Hermione..."

"Is this really the time and place to be doing this?" Hermione asked, desperately.

Draco stepped forward, and lightly pressed his lips down on hers. Hermione felt herself melt, he knew exactly how she liked it, slow, soft but full of adoration. She raised her hand and ran her fingers through his ice blond hair. Draco yelped and broke off the kiss.

"Damn it Hermione! I'm the one supposed to be teasing you! You're not supposed to do that!"

"Do what?" Hermione asked innocently, her voice ragged. She just wanted to forget about what she had heard, and continue kissing her lovely fiancé.

"You know perfectly well what. You know how much I love it when you touch my hair, or did you just forget that?"

"Oops..." Hermione giggled.

"Yes, oops. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten. You were walking away when I saw you. I take it you heard me talking to mother."

This brought her back down to reality. She groaned.

"Why don't we just go back to our room and talk about this? Do you need any help in the room?"

Draco sighed, but let it go. "No, everyone managed to leave after Ginny went out. Dumbledore helped, so did Harry and Pansy. Mother just stayed in the corner, drinking Cauldron Cocktails."

"Cauldron Cocktails?"

"Yeah, it's the 'in' drink at the moment, all her friends drink it," he paused and frowned. "Anyway, we can just go back to the room. I'm guessing Harry and Pansy will be wondering what happened."

They walked back to their room, hand in hand.

When they got back to their room, Harry and Pansy were cuddling on the sofa. They immediately stood up when Draco and Hermione entered the room.

"Well?"

Draco looked at Hermione, who then said. "Ginny's pregnant. Two weeks."

Harry gaped, and Pansy's hand shot up to her mouth.

"Pregnant?" She said, her voice muffled.

"Uh huh. Blaise is staying the night with her in the Hospital Wing. She's suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. I was so relieved that it wasn't life threatening, she really scared me tonight."

"But still...she's pregnant. That's a huge life change. What did everyone else think? Did Mrs Weasley cry again?" Harry asked, concerned.

"She was getting teary eyed yes. I think she was just in shock to be honest. Once Ginny is rested, they're going to all discuss their situation with Dumbledore."

"Wow...talk about an extreme turn of events," Pansy said, completely shocked.

Hermione nodded.

"Do you think they're ready to have a child together? They haven't been exactly together long..." Harry asked Hermione.

"I don't think it matters how long they've been together. They're in love and have lots of friends and family around to support them. What else should matter?"

"I guess...it's so hard to take in though you know?"

"I know exactly what you mean. Ron took it pretty badly. He was unhappy to begin with, but I don't think that this has helped."

Draco turned to Hermione.

"What do you mean?"

Hermione realised that she hadn't clued Draco in to how Ron was feeling. They had been arguing when Ginny collapsed. It all seemed so long ago now.

"Before Ginny fainted, Ron and I had been arguing. He felt like I personally had been ignoring him, and I was spending too much time with you guys."

"The little-" Draco growled but Hermione held out her hand.

"No, you can't get mad at him. Yes he is stubborn and irritating but he's mine and Harry's friend. He's also Ginny's big brother. We can't leave him out anymore. I invited him to a movie night, along with Luna."

"But he was arguing with you on your engagement night!"

"I know, but I can see where he is coming from, and I don't want to lose him as a friend."

"Fine..." Draco relented, but he wasn't happy. So what if she was spending too much time with him? They loved each other, what were they supposed to do?

"Huh...interesting night all round then," Pansy smiled.

"All round?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Mmhmm," Harry smiled, before gazing at Pansy.

"Well, go on. That's just; really mean if you don't tell us!" Draco said, sadly.

Hermione laughed at Draco, who rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Yes. I go weird sometimes...but you love me for it," Draco winked. Hermione scoffed and poked his nose.

"Hey!"

"Shh, Harry and Pansy need to tell us their news!"

"Fiiine," Draco grumbled, but then ruffled Hermione's hair playfully.

"Do that again and you're sleeping on the floor," warned Hermione. She liked her hair at the moment; she didn't want the hard work of Ginny and Pansy to go to waste.

"You're such a meanie," Draco said, pretending to be hurt.

"Uh guys, seriously. Save it for the privacy of your own bedroom!" Pansy said with a disgusted look on her face.

Hermione coughed, embarrassed.

"Sorry," she said. "Please tell us! He'll be good I promise."

Draco tried to protest but received a poke in the ribs. He became silent.

"Well...we just wanted to let you know that we've set a date for the wedding. May 19th. That gives us enough time to sort things out, and also hopefully the weather will be nicer. We're going to ask Dumbledore if we can have it at Hogwarts. We don't really have homes to go to, and in a way, Hogwarts has become a sanctuary for us. It's our home. Feels kind of fitting..."

"Oh Harry! That's wonderful news! Having it here would be such a good idea! By the lake...at night..." Hermione trailed off wistfully.

"Now...now...don't start daydreaming Hermione. It will be our time before theirs, and I promise you it will be the best day of your life," Draco smiled.

Hermione sighed happily.

"Anyway, we will say goodnight. Me and Hermione have something we need to talk about. Night guys," smiled Draco, before steering Hermione into their bedroom.

Do you wanna talk about it now, or after you've got ready for bed?" Draco asked kindly.

Hermione hesitated, thinking. "After I've got ready for bed I think. See you in about quarter of an hour? Maybe half an hour if I'm honest." She laughed.

"Alright, I'll get ready out here, then I'll be waiting for you in here," he patted the bed. Hermione blushed and hurried into the bathroom. She closed the door and locked it- she didn't want Draco to sneak in.

Over half an hour had passed before Hermione came out. She slipped in beside Draco, who was reading a book.

"Ready," she smiled weakly.

"Hmm?" Draco looked up from his book.

"Never mind," Hermione said brightly, and rolled onto her side. She really did not want this conversation.

"Only joking. Come on, we need to talk about this."

"I really don't think we need to," Hermione sat up. "It's clear what your mother thinks, and what you think. Need we have to bring this up?"

"How much did you hear?"

"I'm hoping just the end bit, how long were you arguing for?"

"Not long, about ten minutes? It started out quite innocently. She said that she liked the dress you had chosen to wear tonight. And I said that yes, you looked beautiful. And then she launched into the whole, 'she isn't right you' argument."

"Huh...ok then." Hermione replied.

"Is that all you can say? Aren't you upset?"

"Not really, I knew there was something about me she didn't like. I'm more...relieved that I know what she thinks about me. I don't have to worry about it anymore. And also, it's not like I can help it. She cares about the fact I'm a muggleborn. I can't change that!"

"I know, I know," Draco soothed, opening his arms. Hermione curled into a ball, and felt reassured immediately when Draco held her.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked.

"Well, we aren't going to listen to her. I don't know why she can't accept that I'm happiest when I'm with you. She usually has been supportive of my decisions, but that's probably because it's what she and father wanted. Now I'm 'rebelling' against them."

"What did she mean...about your inheritance?"

"What? Oh...just that it's 'tradition' the Malfoy heir marries a pureblood- to keep the line pure. I don't care about tradition, I want to marry you. And she can't stop me. Who cares if I don't get my inheritance? I'd rather be poor and happy, than rich and miserable."

Hermione smiled. "I love you Draco Malfoy, you know that right?"

"Of course I do," Draco smirked.

Hermione hit in on the arm. "This is where you're supposed to say it back remember?"

"My mistake for being so slow. I love you Hermione Jean Granger, and I'm never going to let you go. Ever."

Hermione smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

They fell unto a blissful sleep together a little while later, tired out by the events which had taken place that day. What would tomorrow bring?

There you go! Not as long as some chapters, but definitely not as short as most chapters : )

Lot's to discuss. I'll leave it to you to decide what you say in your review *winks*

What was your favourite part of this chapter?