An Unexpected Complication

Nothing worthwhile is without complications. ~ Nora Roberts

Hermione's Point Of View.

1st March 1998

The pain was like nothing she had ever felt. A burning fire ripped its way through her insides before disappearing without warning.

When the pain eased the memory of it remained on her flesh, as though it was imprinted on her very being. In any other situation, she would have been inconsolable but now was not the time for weakness.

She couldn't show how it affected her, so she kept the scream inside.

But he knew. Their eyes locked across the room. She knew what he would have said at that moment. She could hear his voice in her mind, "Breathe Mione" the reassurance… "We will be OK." The promise he couldn't keep.

"I love you" were the words she had wanted to hear just one more time before death came for her, before his screams and desperate pleas to take her place would echo the room as they had done moments ago.

In this and every moment, he was hers and she was his. Hermione cursed what the last months had done to tear that apart.

As the next pain took hold of her, the knife at her throat dug into her flesh, forcing clarity and focus on the bigger picture. The pain from her centre overwhelmed the pain of the knife on her flesh her eyes closed and internally she screamed.

Hermione knew that the various curses Le Strange had used to retrieve information from her couldn't have caused this, something was damaged within her. She tried to think logically, about what was happening, if she could identify it then she might have a chance to tell Ron what he could do to help, but she couldn't focus long enough before another pain took hold.

For a brief moment, she wondered, if this was maybe what death felt like. The smell of blood in the air mingled with her anxiety and she knew. She was going to die today. But not here. She would not give Le Strange the satisfaction of watching it.

The conversation around her held no interest to her, shrieks and threats, conversations of Mudbloods and Blood Traitors. She would not allow her last moments to be consumed by this, instead, when she opened her eyes she trained them on him, her knight. On Ron.

If she had to die today, she wanted to be with him, to be safe and happy.

But his focus was no longer on her, he watched something above her.

As though on queue the witch holding her captive pulled her hair backwards, scrapping the knife down her skin, her brain had only just registered the danger of the Chandelier falling towards her when the pain of the impact hit.

The weight of the metal frame lifted from her body with a single fluid movement as peppermint, firewood and parchment surrounded her and his voice. "Mione, I'm here"

She watched his eyes, fear, elation, love … the windows to his soul. While the world moved around her she was back in his arms where she felt at home.

Harry screamed. "Get us out of here"

A hand gripped the back of her jumper with expectation, but Ron watched her face… She smiled as she thought of the Burrow, Mrs Weasleys Shepards Pie, and long summer days in the sunshine… freedom… her happy place, but she couldn't take them anywhere. Something was stopping her from apparating.

A moment later, the room was swirling and the familiar feeling of lifting occurred, she wasn't in control but someone was taking them away.

Another wave of pain hit, the intensity increasing like nothing she had ever felt before. Each becoming more desperate.

She hit the ground hard, her back slamming against the sand and stopping the pain much like her thought process in its tracks.

There was a scrambling beside her, Ron's arms found her and pulled her to her feet, embracing her tightly sobs rippling over him, everything was fuzzy and she felt as though she could throw up at any moment.

Over Ron's shoulder, Hermione watched as Harry watched the two of them embracing, a mix of shock and relief covered his face as he slumped towards them. Another pain hit her as Harry's arms did. She was safe with them. As Ron's grip loosened slightly to bring Harry into their embrace, her legs failed her and she sank to the ground, the pain in her centre was back in force.

Now she couldn't stop the guttural sounds her body had been aching to make. A low elongated grunt and the urge to bear down came from somewhere in her belly.

The world went quiet but she sensed there was a loud commotion of Ron and Harry trying to find out what was wrong.

She watched Ron's lips as he spoke to her, she remembered the taste of him on her and wondered if she would be able to kiss him again before Death took hold of her. She reached out for his face and pulled his face to her.

Just one more kiss.

He kissed her softly, tears making tracks in his dirty face revealing his freckles, her thumb rubbed the water as another wave of pain forced her eyes closed and wrenched a grunt from her throat.

"Mione, please tell me what I can do."

"Mione, please tell me what I can do."

That was how it started.

Her mind flickered with a sudden realization, the quick calculation in her head.

July, August, September… and December Ron left… it's March 1st.

Her heart stopped, and the world stopped around her, and for the briefest moment, it was just them again. Their world had become so full of Horcruxes and War, she had become so consumed she hadn't registered. It couldn't be possible and yet here it was.

The panic in his voice broke her trance. "Hermione, please talk to me… what is happening"

"I'm pregnant,"

She watched his eyes, confusion came first, followed by the memory and as he did the same math she had moments ago the same fear filled him. It felt like a lifetime before he spoke again.

"Are you sure?"

He looked for a moment like he wanted to run away, and she wouldn't have blamed him if he had. She would have given anything at that moment to run away too. Her mouth dried as she thought of the possibility of him leaving again, of the invisible string that had bound them together during their separation, and as he watched her and she watched him, she saw a spark ignited in his eyes.

"Harry, go and get Fleur"

Harry moved to go get help before he returned almost immediately like a boomerang "What was that about …"

Another wave washed over her. The pain was intense, she didn't want to have to explain anything to Harry now. Questions and answers would lead to more questions with answers she didn't have, the pain and exhaustion combined with the events of the day had taken everything that she had already.

He read her like a book, "DOBBY, LUNA … ANYONE GO GET FLEUR… NOW!"

The house elf disappeared with a pop and Luna took off down the sand dune while Harry stood above them asking questions that neither she nor Ron cared to acknowledge.

He took his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"It's going to be ok, What are we supposed to do?"

She shook her head, she had no books on this.

"Just breathe, Fleur will be here soon, we will be ok… all of us." He knelt in front of her in the sand rubbing her leg instinctively.

"Did you know?" He asked tentatively, his eyes not leaving hers.

"No…" It wasn't a lie, not really. Another pain hit and she felt Ron's hand in hers. She gripped it tightly, afraid he would leave if she let go.

"Breathe… it's ok, we will do this together, I'm not going anywhere ..."

It was like he could read her mind. She was glad he couldn't, there was deception and there was this "I'm so sorry"

"No … you don't ever have to be sorry for this, it takes two…"

She was glad of the wave that cut him off, she let out a moan of pain as her body forced her to bear down deep in her stomach.

"Something is happening"

She felt him take his coat, and the cold wind hit her.

She felt him lift her with his two thumbs, before shimmying her on top of the coat.

He reached for the button on her jeans, before pulling her trousers down. Fear flickered in his eyes, and her blood ran cold.

"Something is wrong…"

His features contorted in an attempt to hide his fear, but it was clear he was terrified.

His hand squeezed hers as hard as she had done his moments before. "Hermione, stop… breathe… it will be ok, you can do this"

A scream came from beside her, Fleur had stopped suddenly as she saw the scene she erupted into streams of French words. Bill must have been following closely behind and with a much clearer. "BLOODY HELL" stopped next to his wife.

"Ron what the hell is going on…"

She kept her focus on Ron, his eyes locked on hers again "Come on Mione. You can do this"

She grunted, feeling as though she was being torn in two, but her body seemed to know what it was doing, how people did this more than once she would never know, psychosis maybe.

"It's got my hair, Mione…" Ron's eyes were filled with tears and his fearful smile crept back as he held her legs.

She wanted to punch him. Repeatedly. In the face. With a chair.

She didn't know why, her logic told her his fear was becoming excitement she should be happy but the pain inside her was so intense it was taking everything from her. It was just them in the world now she grunted again. As the sound escaped her, he urged her to go on, he was her cheerleader and her reason to carry on.

She closed her eyes and as a tiny scream pierced the air, the pain went with it. That was it, it was over.

"Look at her Hermione, you did it, she's so perfect…"

She … a girl. A Daughter.

She wanted to sleep, to dream, to forget but there were expectations. Forcing her eyes open, she saw her. Her red hair

Their daughter, with her bright red hair and bright screaming face, was here.