A/N: This story completely ignores Deathly Hallows. The ending of Half Blood Prince is also altered. Instead of Dumbledore getting killed, Draco's necklace, poisoned alcohol, etc. attempts simply did not work. Snape did not make an Unbreakable Vow, so he did not kill Dumbledore for Draco.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


Ron recoiled as if Hermione had just told him to eat a Dungbomb. He straightened up from packing a pair of socks and a bag of Pig's owl treats into his already full trunk. It was the last day of term, and they were supposed to be boarding the train in less than twenty minutes. Yes, Ron was still packing. The rest of the Gryffindor sixth year boys had already left for the entrance hall. Well, all except Harry, who was somewhere having a last minute meeting with Dumbledore.

"You're what?" Ron asked with wide eyes.

"I'm pregnant," Hermione repeated.

She had known for a little over a week but had decided not to tell Ron until after exams were over. She had told Harry, Ginny, and Luna a few days ago. Her letter explaining the situation to Mrs. Weasley was already on its way and would beat Ron home. So, she had to tell him. It was definitely last minute, but she refused to let him hear it from his mother or in a letter she would have undoubtedly sent later that summer.

"No." Ron shook his head. "You can't be. You just...no." He swallowed. "Are you sure?"

"I think Madam Pomfrey has been in practice long enough to be certain when someone's pregnant," she said with a frown.

Ron shook his head again. "But we only did it a few times without protection."

"It only takes once, Ron."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not stupid. I just...it's hard to believe. We've only been going out a few months."

"I know," Hermione said, her eyes never leaving his face.

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled a long breath. "You're...getting rid of it, right?"

It was Hermione's turn to flinch away. She hadn't exactly expected him to be over the moon about a baby, but his first reaction was really to abort it?

She drew her arms close around her torso in a hug. "I was planning to keep it. McGonagall thinks it'll be fine if we make accommodations with my classes next spring when the baby comes."

"You can't be serious," Ron said. He walked around his bed, abandoning the rest of his things that needed packing. He gripped her arms lightly. "Hermione, we can't have a baby right now."

"Why not?" She knew that his solution was the logical one. They were both barely seventeen and still had a full year of school left. But, it felt wrong to abort a baby because it would be inconvenient.

"Because a baby costs money. Why do you think my parents are so poor?"

"So, what? You think your mother prefers she would have aborted you and Ginny to save a little money? When do you think she should have stopped?" she asked. A part of her knew she was being horrible, but another part didn't care. Obviously, the Weasleys had chosen to bring more love into their home than worry about money. No, they weren't rich, but they had never gone without the essentials, and Mrs. Weasley always made sure there was enough food to feed everyone twice.

Ron dropped his hands to his sides. "That's beside the point."

"No, it's not!" Hermione snapped. "You're suggesting to kill our son or daughter because we won't have enough money. By the time he or she is born, we'll only have a few months before graduation, and we'll get jobs then. It will all be fine. Harry's already offered to-"

"Harry?!" Ron barked. "You've already told Harry? Shit, does the whole castle know except me? Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall, Harry. I'm surprised one of the portraits didn't tell me."

"Ron-"

"And Harry's offered to what? Pay for the first few months? I don't want any of his charity. This is exactly why we have to get rid of it."

"Because our friend wants to help us financially for a few months? Ron, that's stupid. This is our child. We can always pay Harry back."

"I don't want to owe him a debt, Hermione. Not a money debt." He swallowed and walked back to the other side of his bed to stand in front of his trunk. He checked his watch that his parents had sent him for his seventeen and started throwing the rest of his things into his trunk haphazardly. "We can't have a baby. We're not ready."

"You'll never be ready if all you're concerned about is money," she said, crushing her arms around her ribs even tighter.

"I didn't say that," Ron huffed. "It's just too soon. We're only seventeen. We're barely of age."

"My parents had me when they were still teenagers," Hermione said. This was a fact she had never shared with Harry or Ron, but she had never found it particularly important.

"Yeah, and you're an only child," he said, leaning heavily on the lid of his trunk to try to smash his belongings enough so he could snap the trunk shut. "Why do you think you probably don't have siblings? That's a lot of debt to have that young."

A sudden burst of fire sprung up in Hermione's chest. She seized his pillow and chucked it at him. "You know nothing about my family."

He frowned and bent to pick up the pillow from where it had fallen to the carpet after smacking him in the shoulder. "I'm just saying that it doesn't make sense to have a baby right now, Hermione. There's the money, and we're on the brink of a war."

"You were born in the middle of the last war!" she screeched. Maybe his reasons were logical, but the way he said them just sounded like feeble excuses. Just because there were obstacles didn't mean something couldn't be done or turn out incredible in the end.

"Look," he said and checked his watch again. "We have to go. I don't have time to argue about this. You know that the best thing to do is get rid of it. It makes sense. Get rid of it, and we can forget it ever happened."

Hermione drew herself up to her full height. "No, forget we ever happened. Have a good holiday." And she stormed from the dormitory.


The summer holiday was tumultuous.

Hermione's first week back home was especially emotional. She had been planning for months to modify her parents' memories and relocate them to a more obscure place in Australia for safety reasons. Given the circumstances of the worsening wizarding world conditions and the arrival of Mrs. Weasley's letter a few days into the break, she executed the plan early. She wanted her parents as safe as possible, which meant departing from them quickly, so she took that week to enjoy their reactions to the pregnancy news before altering their memories and Apparating to the Burrow.

Mrs. Weasley had invited Hermione to spend the summer with the Weasleys. Her letter had included the news that Ron had left for the entire summer to intern at Charlie's place of work in Romania. Apparently, his anger with Hermione combined with his mother's lectures about responsibility had driven him to Apparate straight to Charlie's doorstep just a few hours after he had arrived home.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys support and Ron's sudden departure had convinced her to go there. It would be the best place for the first few months of the pregnancy. Mrs. Weasley kept her full, made her tonics for her morning sickness, and dug out the magazines on pregnancy and parenthood that she had read when starting the Weasley family. Ginny was helpful too as she always provided a great venting partner whenever Hermione's letters to Ron returned unopened.

When their school lists arrived, Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find the Head Girl badge enclosed. She had been hoping to be Head Girl ever since she learned what it was. But, she had assumed the Heads of House wouldn't choose her due to the pregnancy taking up more of her attention.

Wondering who the Head Boy might be helped distract her from the fatigue and morning sickness. Luckily, by the time she would board the train, her first trimester would be almost over, and hopefully, the nausea would pass around then. She just hoped Ron hadn't been made Head Boy. He wasn't writing to anyone in the Weasley household it seemed. However, that didn't mean much since only Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione were residing at the Burrow. Fred and George had sent Hermione a parcel full of the cure half of their Puking Pastilles to help with the morning sickness, but she hadn't seen them in person in months.

She and Ginny stayed home while the Weasleys made the trip to Diagon Alley for their school supplies. They had put off the shopping trip until last minute in hopes of a response from Ron on whether they needed to pick up his stuff as well. Charlie had replied saying he had already taken him to Diagon Alley the previous week and would see Ron off on September first. Ron still wanted nothing to do with his parents, who kept writing letters suggesting he come home and talk about the baby and what he should do as the father.

By that time, Hermione had given up hope that Ron would answer her letters. She even doubted he'd come around over the next six to seven months. She might make one last attempt to talk to him at school, but besides that, she had decided not to push him. It was clear they didn't want the same things, and a baby shouldn't have a reluctant or begrudging father in the picture. And she would only have to see him during a few classes and in passing at meal times. Ginny had already demanded she sit with her and insisted they could snag Harry away at meals once a day probably.

She wouldn't even be seeing him in the common room much anymore. As Head Girl, she was still welcome in Gryffindor Tower, but her main quarters would be in a suite up near Dumbledore's office. She and the Head Boy would share a lounge area and have separate rooms. She was sure she could tolerate anyone as long as it wasn't Ron. Anthony Goldstein, Ernie Macmillan, maybe even Draco Malfoy would be preferable. Anthony and Ernie were friendly enough, and she could always avoid Malfoy. At least with him, it was pure dislike. It would be terribly worse living with an ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend.

She would just have to wait till September first to find out. And that day came soon enough.