Unexpected Surprises
Title: Unexpected Surprises
Pairing: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione
Rating: PG
Word Count: 5852
Summary: Ron and Hermione get themselves into trouble because they're snooping into Harry and Ginny's life. Gee, that never happens!
Night had fallen in mid September and Hermione was grateful she could snuggle up to Ron to keep warm. The reds and purples in the sky had given away to a clear view of the stars and moon. The breeze carried a hint of frost and she knew there wouldn’t be too many more evenings where they could sneak out for a snogging session while they were supposed to be doing their rounds. They were in the bushes kissing, hoping no one else would come along. They came up for air and Hermione glanced at the watch on her wrist and gasped at how late it was. She had definitely gotten carried away this time. “It’s after curfew! We’re out after curfew!” Ron moved his hands more up her back, pulling her close.
“It’s fine. We can get in without any trouble. Let’s stay a little longer.”
“What kind of an example are we setting if we, as the premiere 8th year prefects, can’t even make it inside before curfew?”
“We are setting a perfect example of two adults in love who want to enjoy being together.”
“That’s not a perfect example, Ron. We could get in trouble.”
“Oh, I don’t know how I let you talk me into coming back for another year, Hermione. I hate trying to live under all these stupid rules.”
“Because in order to get into Auror training, you and Harry had to get your NEWTs which means you had to be here. And besides, you didn’t want to be all that time without me.”
Ron was about to reply when Hermione shushed him. He tried again and she shushed him again. “Shhh. I heard a noise.” She was peering through the bushes toward the castle. Ron looked, too, but couldn’t see anything. He was about to tell her that she must be imagining things when she grabbed his arm and they both saw the Invisibility Cloak coming off Harry and Ginny.
Harry said, “We’re out of the castle and Hermione didn’t catch us. How about a reward for our brilliance?” The two of them kissed and Hermione put a restraining hand on Ron’s arm.
Hermione started. “I can’t believe it, they’re breaking the rules again!”
“What do you mean, again?”
“Last night I caught them in one of the rooms snogging. I had to take points for being out after curfew. They probably should have had detention, but I decided to be nice since today was our first Hogsmeade visit of the year and I know the whole family was coming to see George’s store.”
“You should have taken double points. That boy needs to learn that there’s a time and place for everything and late nights at school aren’t appropriate.”
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Ron. They’ve been together since summer. You know they kiss. “
“I know, but I don’t have to like it.”
“Well, either way, I’ve got to go out there right now and this time, I can’t avoid giving them detention.”
“You may want to button up your shirt first and think of some reason why we’re out of the castle after curfew.”
“Oh, oh! You’re right, I can’t let them know we’re out here. I guess I’ll just have to pretend we didn’t see them. “
“Great. Maybe we can go back to snogging while we wait for them to leave.”
Then Harry started talking again and Hermione shushed Ron one more time. “I hope they’re not getting into some sort of trouble.”
With a note of bewildered amusement and a touch of impatience, Harry spoke up. “Okay, we’re outside the castle. Now what did you want to tell me that we couldn’t have found somewhere in the castle to tell me?”
“Oh, you know the paintings gossip and this absolutely cannot get around.”
Hermione looked at Ron with a worried expression and they both leaned even closer to hear them.
The wind picked that moment to play with the branches and unfortunately, many of Ginny’s words were carried away so what they heard was “ . . . pregnant . . . we’ve got to keep it a secret . . . and definitely don’t tell Ron!”
Harry’s looked utterly gobsmacked. “You’re joking!”
Ron’s face turned dark red as much as Hermione could tell in the darkness and made a move to attack the two of them. Hermione threw a quick Petrificus Totalus so he wouldn’t give away their cover. Once that threat was neutralized, Hermione turned her full attention to the conversation going on in front of her.
Harry seemed to recover from his initial shock. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I’m a girl. I know these things." The wind played again with their words, carrying them away, twirling and tumbling like little dust bunnies, so Hermione couldn’t hear Harry’s retort. But she did hear Ginny saying “ . . . sick this morning . . . known for a couple of weeks . . .”
Harry interrupted Ginny’s long explanation. “How did this happen?”
Ginny answered him with an impish expression, “How do you think it happened? “
“Okay, I know, I know. I guess that was a dumb thing to ask.”
“Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to spell it out.”
Harry said something Hermione couldn’t hear because he was turned away, but she did hear most of Ginny’s response, “No . . . don’t want to tell Mum yet . . . after everything she’s been through . . . Mum would be so disappointed . . . “
Harry kissed Ginny softly. “You’re right. The timing could be better. Let’s be careful, we don’t want anyone else to figure it out until . . .” He threw the Cloak back over them and she heard footsteps on the gravel indicating they were heading back to the castle.
Hermione saw the big doors open and shut and then she undid the body-binding spell, but immediately cast a Muffliato because she knew Ron’s response would be loud. And she was right. After a couple of minutes of his screaming and cursing Harry, his parents (implying they weren’t married), and all of his ancestors back to the primordial ooze they crawled out of, Hermione calmed him down.
“Get control of yourself, Ron. All this yelling isn’t going to fix anything.”
“Why did you stop me from killing him?”
“For heaven’s sake, he’s your best friend. You don’t want to hurt him.”
“I do want to hurt him. Badly. I want to blast his balls from here to Inverness. “
Hermione shuddered. “Thanks for putting that picture in my head. I don’t want to think about Harry’s bits at all.”
“But he’s been -“
“Yes! Yes! I know, Ron. Believe it or not, I do know what it takes to make a baby.”
“But we’re older and we haven’t even-“
“That’s because I’m old fashioned, I guess. But in any case, we can’t change it now.”
“She’s going to get kicked out of school. That’s going to break Mum’s heart.”
“Don’t despair too much yet. If we help her out, maybe she can keep it secret until the Christmas Holidays. Then we can think of some excuse about why she just can’t come back.”
“I don’t know what you are even thinking about. What kind of excuse could we possibly come up with?”
“I’m not sure yet. But I’ll think of something. The important thing is that we make sure Ginny is as healthy as possible. We need to make sure she eats right and does all the necessities. Your Mum would be thrilled to have a new grandbaby to love as long as it’s healthy and magical.”
“I still want to kill Harry.”
“Well that’s not really an option. We can’t even let them know that we know. We’ve got to keep this absolutely secret.”
Ron muttered a few more obscenities before he let Hermione drag him into the castle and up to the common room. It was probably best that both Ginny and Harry had already gone to bed.
****
The next morning, Hermione woke up at her usual time to find Ginny sitting up in bed, reading.
“Hey, Hermione. How are you this morning?”
“I’m good. How are you doing? Can I get you anything? A drink of water, maybe some toast from the kitchen?”
Ginny looked at her strangely. “Uh, no. I’m good. I’m hungry, though. I’m going to head down for breakfast. “
“I’ll join you. Give me just a minute.”
They went down to the Commons Room to wait for the boys because they all liked to eat breakfast together on Sunday mornings. They didn’t have to wait long, fortunately. Ginny was getting impatient, though. “I’m starting to get sick, I’m so hungry. That dumb brother of mine better be down here in five minutes or I’m going down myself.
Ron and Harry came into the Commons Room just a few minutes later, although Ron looked grumpy and was shooting both Ginny and Harry dirty looks. Hermione pulled him aside. “Look, if you’re going to keep everyone else from getting suspicious, you’ve got to relax. You don’t want it to get out, remember, for Ginny’s sake?”
Ron plastered on a fake smile. “You’re right, I’ll do my best. But Harry doesn’t even have the grace to look ashamed. It’s like he’s totally put it out of his mind that he’s humiliated my little sister.”
“He’s a better actor than you are, Ron. As far as he knows, you aren’t angry with him. Now shut up and act normal.”
“Fine. I’ll try.”
“I’ll kick you under the table if you keep this up. Now I’m going to watch what she eats today and see if it’s nutritionally sound. “
“Okay. I guess? Does it really matter what she eats?
Hermione raised her eyebrows. “Of course it does. Nutrition in the first few months of gestation is the most critical phase. The fact that Ginny is so young already raises some issues - and it’s really key if she wants the baby to have strong magical qualities. All sorts of studies are being done into why some families have squibs, or near squibs, and they’ve found that the mother’s health and nutrition during those first few critical weeks is an important factor.” Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a thick volume. “How to Have a Magical Baby when Your Blood is Muggle.” “I’ve got this book and if we follow what it says to the letter, we can practically guarantee that none of Harry’s Muggle blood will show up in the baby and break your mother’s heart.”
“Two questions. First, why do you have that book, which seems really stupid. Second, that sounds pretty close to Muggle-hating coming from you.”
“It’s not Muggle-hating to want your baby to be magic. Not at all. Genetics alone would make it more likely that someone like . . . . Harry, uh, you know with a Muggle-born mother would have a risk. And as for the book . . . . uh, well, it’s amazing what you can find in the school library.”
Ron looked even more puzzled. “That book was in the school library and you just picked it up, what, last night?
“Oh, never mind. Let’s just go!”
“Are you two done? I swear, I’m about to start gnawing Harry’s arm off. Let’s go eat!”
Hermione nodded significantly at Ron and they dutifully followed the other two down the stairs.
****
Down in the Great Hall, everybody took their usual places, Ron and Hermione sitting across from Harry and Ginny so they could visit easily. Today, Ron was glaring daggers in Harry’s direction and Hermione kept trying to distract him as well as keeping an eye on Ginny’s food intake. She nodded approvingly at Ginny’s whole grain toast and the pumpkin juice she poured. But she frowned at the bacon and sausage Ginny loaded onto her plate. “Are you sure you should be eating that? Bacon can be full of nitrites and who knows what’s in sausage.”
Ginny, Ron, and Harry all looked at her. “What?”
“Well, a little bacon’s okay once in a while, but, you know, it’s best eaten sparingly.”
Ginny scowled at her and took an extra piece of the bacon. “I like bacon, I’m hungry, and you seem to overcome your dislike enough to eat it yourself.”
“Well, I’ve been known to. But I think I’ll try to eat healthier now. I’m getting older, you know, and it’s best to eat as wisely as possible.”
Ginny just shook her head before stuffing the entire piece of bacon in her mouth. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Hermione, or you either, Ron, that you keep scowling at us. But whatever it is, I don’t care. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I’m headed up for a nap.” She ate her eggs quickly, took another piece of bacon just to show she didn’t care about Hermione’s opinion, and left the table.
Harry looked at the two of them before following her out of the Great Hall. “What she said. If you two are fighting, try to work it out before you take it out on us!”
Ron laughed despite his upset. “That worked well, didn’t it?”
Hermione grumbled. “It’s like she’s refusing to acknowledge she’s feeding a baby now. Stubborn thing.”
“Don’t say that out loud. Ginny was right when she said the paintings gossip. Remember it’s strictly between us.”
****
That evening Hermione was sitting in the Common’s Room busily reading her baby book when Ginny, Harry and Ron came in. Hermione quickly stuffed it back into her bag and smiled innocently at the three. “How was your Quidditch practice?”
“You mean pre-Quidditch practice since team tryouts are this weekend?”
“Uh, yeah, sure, whatever.”
“Ron seemed to enjoy it,” Ginny commented, giving her brother a sideways glance. Ron actually had a smile on his face; or at least a satisfied expression as Ginny continued. “He hit a bludger right at Harry’s head and . . .”
“Almost hit me,” Harry cut in, “except I ducked.
“Oh, good,” Hermione smiled at Harry and shot an exasperated glance at Ron, who continued to smile.
“Oh yeah,” Harry agreed grimly, “except I was so busy ducking the Bludger to my head that I didn’t notice the second one aimed for my stomach.”
“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to practice dodging Bludgers,” Ron countered smugly.
“Yeah,” Harry agreed with a grimace. “That was a mistake.”
“Okay, that’s nice,” Ginny said as she helped Hermione up from the chair and pulled Harry along. “All of that practice made me hungry. And I know the boys are hungry too.” Ron nodded eagerly while Harry grimaced again.
On the way down to the Great Hall Hermione took up a conversation she had had with Ginny previous to the Quidditch practice. “Are you sure you should be trying out for the Quidditch team? I mean, maybe you should take it easy and . . . um, focus on, you know, other things.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “For at least the fourth or fifth time, yes I want to try out for the team and I don’t have other things to focus on, that I care about, anyway.”
Down in the Great Hall they took their usual spots. Ron dived into roast beef, mashed potatoes and hot bread. Ginny followed suit while Harry, looking a little worse for wear, just picked at his food. Hermione had taken extra helpings of carrots and Brussels sprouts. She glanced at both Ginny’s and Ron’s plates which were noticeably absent of vegetables.
“Here Ginny,” Hermione said as she started ladeling Brussels sprouts onto Ginny’s plate, “these are good for you. You need them.”
Ginny gave Hermione an incredulous look. “I don’t like Brussels sprouts.”
“But they’re good for you.” Several more sprouts were dished onto her plate.
Ginny scowled. “But I don’t like them.”
“But they really are good for you. All kinds of vitamins that you and…uh…you need.” She put several more onto Ginny’s plate. By this time, Ginny , frowning, had rested her chin in her left hand and taken out her wand. As Hermione spooned the vegetables onto Ginny’s plate she sent them back into the dish with an irritated flick of her wand.
“Bloody hell, Hermione,” Harry finally moaned, “can’t you leave her be and let her eat what she wants?”
“Fine!” Hermione snapped and finished her meal in silence plotting what to do next since Ginny was in denial and obviously not taking care of her baby.
****
It was mid-afternoon the next day as Hermione made her way into the greenhouse where Neville Longbottom was working as an assistant to Mrs. Sprout. Neville had potting soil up to his elbows and grinned as he saw Hermione.
“Hi, Hermione, what brings you in here?” Neville busily cleaned his hands and arms and toweled them off as he motioned Hermione to an empty chair and then perched himself on a desk.
She smiled in appreciation and settled herself before introducing the topic. “Neville, I’m here hoping that somewhere in the greenhouses or in the gardens, you have access to Murtlap. I know someone who’s pregnant and I’ve read that it’s the best thing for helping the baby be healthy, strong, and magical.”
Neville blinked at her for a moment, as if expecting her to suddenly yell “Just kidding” and then laugh hysterically before telling him the real reason she was here. But when she didn’t, he cleared his throat. “Uh, you have a friend, who finds herself . . . in the family way?”
Hermione grimaced at the old-fashioned expression. “She’s pregnant, yes.”
“Healers give that plant out pretty regularly to their expecting patients. All she needs to do is ask at her regular visits.”
“I don’t think she’s seeing a healer. I don’t think she wants to admit she’s pregnant. She wants to keep it a secret.”
“Hmm. Well that’s ridiculous. It’s not that big of a deal, even if she’s not married. Her healer can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Truthfully, Neville . . . She can’t go to a healer. She’s here at Hogwarts. “
Neville’s eyes widened in surprise and there was a hint of a blush. “Oh, well, okay. Um, okay. Congratulations, I guess. Uh, you probably shouldn’t be too worried. The Weasleys are a powerful magical family and they’re very prolific. Arthur and Molly have certainly proved that and I’m sure it’s the same with Ron and you don’t need to worry. Any baby you have will almost certainly be very magical and very healthy.”
“I’m not pregnant, Neville. I know how to use birth control, well, if I even needed it, which I don’t.” She scowled at him. This was proving to be just as embarrassing as she was afraid of. “It’s not me, but I don’t want to tell you who it is.”
“I do have access to the plant, but I’m not giving you the juice until I know her size, weight, age, height, etc. You have undoubtedly read that this dosage has to be pretty precise. I don’t want to be handing out drugs that could hurt your friend or her baby.”
“Can’t I just give you some idea of it all?”
“No. Sorry. I’m not budging on that.”
“But if it gets out . . . it would be bad news.”
“Hermione, I’m not going to tell. I promise. I just don’t want the girl or her baby harmed in any way. I would feel terrible if . . .”
“Okay. Fine” Hermione gave Neville a frustrated look but relented. “It’s Ginny. She’s the one that’s pregnant.” Neville gave an involuntary gasp. His eyes were wider than before and his face paled. Hermione suddenly realized the significance of what she had said. “Oh Neville, I’m sorry. I should have . . . I don’t know. I just know you’ve always, well, you’ve always had a thing for her.”
Neville stiffly nodded his head and looked away for a moment. He finally mumbled. “Sorry. I knew Ginny and Harry were close. I just didn’t know they were . . .” His sentenced died away in a moment of uncomfortable silence until he turned and with renewed energy said,“I’ll get the correct dosage made up as soon as possible. Ginny’s a Weasley and that alone will probably mean a powerful magical baby. With Harry being the father of her baby,” his voice cracked as he said that, “I’m sure the baby will be fine. But I’ll do everything I can to help her.” Neville paused a moment and, fighting back emotion, “she’s special and deserves the best.”
“Thanks Neville.” Hermione gave him a hug and started to leave.
Neville, who had a contemplative expression, looked up. “So, how is Ron taking this?”
“Not well. But Ginny doesn’t know we know. She and Harry are keeping her pregnancy a secret for the time being. I think they’re hoping she can make it through this term without people finding out and then she’ll just not return next term. So, please don’t say . . .”
“Don’t worry,” Neville hurriedly jumped in. “I won’t say anything. I’ll just help you where I can.” Hermione smiled and turned to leave when Neville stopped her. He had a wicked grin. “I’ll bet Ron wants to blast Harry’s bits all over the Highlands for getting Ginny pregnant.” There was a slight note of hope in his voice.
“Ah,” Hermione cried out in mock disgust, “that’s the second time I’ve heard about Harry’s bits and I really don’t want the image in my mind.”
****
Over the next several days, Hermione stuck very close to Ginny at mealtime. Ron would distract Harry and Ginny and then she would drop in the required amount of the Murtlap essence into Ginny’s drink. Neville would keep a close eye on her to verify that she had put in enough and then Hermione would watch trying to make sure she drank the whole thing. It was a pain, true, but it was worth it since she knew Ginny’s baby was getting the right nutrition. Ginny made a face the first day and stopped drinking about halfway through and wouldn’t drink any more despite Hermione’s nagging. Same thing on the second. Finally, on the third day, she exclaimed, “Is it just me? Does everyone’s pumpkin juice taste like swamp water? I swear, I’m giving it up. From now on, I’m going to stick with just plain water. I don’t know what pumpkins they’re using to make this slop, but I’m sick of it!” She vanished the juice in her cup and filled it with water from her wand. “Ah, that’s better!”
Hermione, Ron, and Neville all exchanged concerned expressions and after the meal they huddled in the entry hall discussing their next options. Neville tried to reassure them. “If you tell her you know, she’d probably be more receptive to the idea of eating a little better.”
“No, we just can’t tell them.”
“Why not, exactly? I’m sure however you found out, they’ll forgive you. You guys have all been friends for years. And Ron, you’re her brother.”
“We sort of eavesdropped,” Hermione confessed. “We didn’t mean to, but we did, and since we heard them we really can’t admit we were there and didn’t announce ourselves.”
“Plus, we were on the grounds snogging after curfew, so we don’t want them to know that, either.”
“Thanks, Ron,” Hermione said. ‘I’m sure that was just what Neville wanted to hear.”
“That does make it more complicated. Look, I don’t know much about babies and all that, but I’ll tell you this. Ginny looks very happy and well. She’s active, eating, doing all the things normal healthy pregnant women do. I think the baby is fine, she’s fine, and you’re panicking over nothing.”
Hermione had to reluctantly agree with him. Ginny really was a picture of happy contentment. Other than being tired at the end of the day, which everyone was, she was showing no signs of being pregnant at all. She didn’t even seem to be getting morning sick. Hermione was jealous. No wonder Molly had seven kids if she had it as easy as Ginny had it. The lucky girl. “You’re right, Neville. I probably should relax unless something does go awry or Ginny starts having problems. There’s nothing to indicate any reason to worry.”
****
Just a couple of days later Hermione had cause to reconsider her resolution. She woke up on a cool and misty Saturday morning to see Ginny, still in her night shirt, sitting at the side of her bed. It was immediately obvious something was wrong. Hermione got out of her bed and walked over to Ginny who looked up and gave her a weak smile. Her face was pale. Well, perhaps more than just pale - it was a greenish pale.
“I’ve spent the past half hour in the bathroom being sick.”
“Oh,” Hermione said, feeling a little guilty for being pleased that Ginny’s pregnancy wasn’t as easy as she had first assumed.
“It must be a touch of the flu,” Ginny said as she queasily stood up and shrugged off her night shirt.
“The flu?” Hermione asked, hoping the tone of her voice didn’t sound as skeptical as she felt.
“Witches and wizards get the flu, uh, sometimes,” Ginny replied a little defensively as she dressed in loose clothing in preparation for the Quidditch try-outs later that morning.
****
At breakfast that morning, Ginny ate very little and Hermione again broached a subject that had caused a little tension between the two girls. “Ginny,” she said cautiously, “are you sure you want to play Quidditch this semester?”
Ginny shot her friend an irritated glance. “Why wouldn’t I want to play Quidditch?”
“Well,” Hermione said soothingly, “you were sick this morning and it, uh, might happen again . . . you know.”
“I’m fine,” Ginny growled as she quickly got up, grabbed her broom and marched out of the Great Hall before anyone else could join in the conversation.
****
Ginny not only made it through tryouts but, as had been expected, made it onto the team. Hermione wisely kept her concerns to herself and voiced only congratulations to her friend. Monday after classes was the first day of team practice and by the time Ginny came dragging her broom into the Gryffindor Commons she looked exhausted. Hermione, who had been reading a thick book by the fireplace, jumped up and helped Ginny into a soft chair.
“Here Ginny, put your feet up, it’s good for you.” Ginny gave her a grateful smile as she sat down.
Later, at dinner, Hermione broke her own self-made rule and again tried to force more vegetables onto Ginny’s plate. Ginny scowled at her and Hermione coaxed, “Come on, Ginny, you need more vegetables and more strength. Remember, you’re eating for two . . .” Hermione realized what she had just said and quickly tried to cover up her huge mistake. “Uh, for . . . for tonight.”
Ginny gave her a puzzled look. “For tonight? What do you mean I’m eating for tonight?”
Harry, Ron, Neville, and several other Gryffindor students were all staring at Hermione and she felt her face getting red. “You know, you have a lot of homework and you need your energy.”
“I don’t have that much homework,” Ginny muttered as she sent the vegetables back to the serving dish with a flick of her wand.
****
A few days later, a number of students were out on the castle grounds enjoying the sun and an echo of the now past summer. Hermione was sitting on the grass, a book in her hands and Ron’s head on her lap. Ginny and Harry had been sitting near them but decided to go for a walk down by the lake. Ginny seemed both healthy and content and that was what the three, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, wanted.
Neville, who had been out walking, approached the two.
“Hi guys. May I sit down?”
Ron sat up, rubbed his eyes and grinned. “Sure, Neville.”
Neville sat down and glanced over at Ginny and Harry by the lake. “She seems to be handling her pregnancy well. Almost like she wasn’t pregnant.” Ron made an angry noise and Neville jumped a little. “Uh, sorry Ron.”
About that time, Luna Lovegood approached the three. Her eyes was as large as ever and she had a knowing smile on her face. “There’s something special about Ginny. Lately I’ve seen an aura around her.”
“Wow,” Neville responded in amazement, “you can tell she’s pregnant?”
Luna’s big eyes grew even wider and her content smile turned to an expression of shock. “Ginny’s pregnant?”
“Oops,” muttered Neville as Hermione covered her face with her hand and Ron swore under his breath. “I thought you said there was something special about Ginny.”
“I meant I could tell she’s in love with Harry.”
“Oh,”
Luna looked contemplative. “How did she get pregnant?”
“How the hell do you think she got pregnant?” Ron growled. “Harry’s been . . . “
“I think,” Hermione cut in quickly and loudly to cover up Ron’s retort, “she means how a smart, powerful witch like Ginny wouldn’t think of performing a birth control charm. I’ve wondered that myself.”
Ron looked incredulous. “Would she really know a charm like that?”
“Yes, most teenage witches know . . .” Hermione stopped in mid-sentence because both Ron and Neville were looking at her in shock. “Oh, never mind. That’s not important.” She turned and looked at Luna. “Luna, you can’t tell anyone about Ginny being pregnant. She and Harry haven’t told anyone, not even Ron and me. We found out by accident.” Neville stifled a chuckle and both Hermione and Ron scowled at him. Hermione again looked at Luna. “So Luna, please don’t tell Ginny anything.”
“Don’t tell me what?” Everybody jumped and turned to see Ginny and Harry, hand-in-hand, walking up to them.
“Oh,” Luna replied airily, “don’t tell you that I know you’re pregnant.” There were groans of frustration from the other three as Ginny and Harry starred at her in complete shock
“Wh-what?” Ginny stammered. “Did you say pregnant?”
“Oh yes,” Luna smiled, “we know you’re pregnant, but we won’t tell anyone.”
Ginny’s eyes were wide and her face flushed. “You think I’m pregnant? What the hell gave you that idea?” Before anyone answered her face went even redder. “You think Harry and I have been . . .”
“Then you’re really not pregnant?” Hermione was truly bewildered. “But you were talking about being pregnant and . . .”
“Well I’m not,” Ginny snapped back. “There’s no possible way I could be pregnant and . . .” She stopped for a moment as comprehension flashed across her face. “How did you hear me talking about being pregnant?”
Hermione blushed. “That doesn’t matter. Ron and I heard you talking about being pregnant.”
“I’m not pregnant” Ginny yelled and Harry moved to calm her down as he looked around to see who might be listening. Several students had turned toward the commotion but quickly looked away as Harry glared at them. “Fleur is pregnant.”
“What?” Ron asked in amazement.
“A couple of weeks ago when we met everyone in Hogsmeade, I went to the loo and Fleur was in there getting sick. She had really bad morning sickness. She made me promise not to tell anyone because of concern about Bill’s being a werewolf and all of that. Mum’s been through so much, she didn’t want her to get her hopes up and then have something go wrong. Both Fleur and Bill plan to tell everyone when they know for sure it’s going to be okay.”
“But you also had morning sickness,” Hermione persisted. “Remember last Saturday before the Quidditch tryouts?”
Ginny had an embarrassed expression. “Hermione, it was nerves.” Harry gave his girlfriend a surprised look and Ginny continued. “I was nervous. We didn’t play Quidditch last year and we had been through so much . . . I had been . . . I was afraid I wouldn’t have it anymore. Everyone expected so much from me. I was afraid I’d let everyone down.”
“I’m sorry, Ginny. Ron and I obviously jumped to the wrong conclusion and then saw what we wanted to see.”
“Now I understand why you and Ron have been acting so weird lately,” Ginny smiled. “Force-feeding me extra vegetables and . . .”
“They’re good for you even if you're not pregnant.” Hermione replied a little defensively. "And you may want to try the pumpkin juice again. I was adding Murtlap to it for the baby."
Ron grinned at Harry. “Sorry, mate. I wanted to kill you when I thought you’d got Ginny preggers.” Harry returned a weak smile.
“But I still don’t know how you could have heard me telling Harry about Fleur since . . .” She broke off, obviously realizing she was about to implicate herself.
“We were out snogging in the bushes and . . .
“Ro-on,” Hermione, blushing profusely, cut him off.
“You were outside the castle, in the bushes, eavesdropping on us?”
“Yes,” Hermione answered uncomfortably.
“So let me get this straight,” Ginny smirked, “you two were out after curfew rolling around in the bushes. Since we’re talking about what causes pregnancy, is there any announcement you want to make, Hermione?”
Hermione gasped as the others, even Ron, all broke out laughing. “Ginny, you know that’s not . . .”
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Ginny crowed, “I’m going to get some sweet revenge.”
Pairing: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione
Rating: PG
Word Count: 5852
Summary: Ron and Hermione get themselves into trouble because they're snooping into Harry and Ginny's life. Gee, that never happens!
Night had fallen in mid September and Hermione was grateful she could snuggle up to Ron to keep warm. The reds and purples in the sky had given away to a clear view of the stars and moon. The breeze carried a hint of frost and she knew there wouldn’t be too many more evenings where they could sneak out for a snogging session while they were supposed to be doing their rounds. They were in the bushes kissing, hoping no one else would come along. They came up for air and Hermione glanced at the watch on her wrist and gasped at how late it was. She had definitely gotten carried away this time. “It’s after curfew! We’re out after curfew!” Ron moved his hands more up her back, pulling her close.
“It’s fine. We can get in without any trouble. Let’s stay a little longer.”
“What kind of an example are we setting if we, as the premiere 8th year prefects, can’t even make it inside before curfew?”
“We are setting a perfect example of two adults in love who want to enjoy being together.”
“That’s not a perfect example, Ron. We could get in trouble.”
“Oh, I don’t know how I let you talk me into coming back for another year, Hermione. I hate trying to live under all these stupid rules.”
“Because in order to get into Auror training, you and Harry had to get your NEWTs which means you had to be here. And besides, you didn’t want to be all that time without me.”
Ron was about to reply when Hermione shushed him. He tried again and she shushed him again. “Shhh. I heard a noise.” She was peering through the bushes toward the castle. Ron looked, too, but couldn’t see anything. He was about to tell her that she must be imagining things when she grabbed his arm and they both saw the Invisibility Cloak coming off Harry and Ginny.
Harry said, “We’re out of the castle and Hermione didn’t catch us. How about a reward for our brilliance?” The two of them kissed and Hermione put a restraining hand on Ron’s arm.
Hermione started. “I can’t believe it, they’re breaking the rules again!”
“What do you mean, again?”
“Last night I caught them in one of the rooms snogging. I had to take points for being out after curfew. They probably should have had detention, but I decided to be nice since today was our first Hogsmeade visit of the year and I know the whole family was coming to see George’s store.”
“You should have taken double points. That boy needs to learn that there’s a time and place for everything and late nights at school aren’t appropriate.”
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Ron. They’ve been together since summer. You know they kiss. “
“I know, but I don’t have to like it.”
“Well, either way, I’ve got to go out there right now and this time, I can’t avoid giving them detention.”
“You may want to button up your shirt first and think of some reason why we’re out of the castle after curfew.”
“Oh, oh! You’re right, I can’t let them know we’re out here. I guess I’ll just have to pretend we didn’t see them. “
“Great. Maybe we can go back to snogging while we wait for them to leave.”
Then Harry started talking again and Hermione shushed Ron one more time. “I hope they’re not getting into some sort of trouble.”
With a note of bewildered amusement and a touch of impatience, Harry spoke up. “Okay, we’re outside the castle. Now what did you want to tell me that we couldn’t have found somewhere in the castle to tell me?”
“Oh, you know the paintings gossip and this absolutely cannot get around.”
Hermione looked at Ron with a worried expression and they both leaned even closer to hear them.
The wind picked that moment to play with the branches and unfortunately, many of Ginny’s words were carried away so what they heard was “ . . . pregnant . . . we’ve got to keep it a secret . . . and definitely don’t tell Ron!”
Harry’s looked utterly gobsmacked. “You’re joking!”
Ron’s face turned dark red as much as Hermione could tell in the darkness and made a move to attack the two of them. Hermione threw a quick Petrificus Totalus so he wouldn’t give away their cover. Once that threat was neutralized, Hermione turned her full attention to the conversation going on in front of her.
Harry seemed to recover from his initial shock. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I’m a girl. I know these things." The wind played again with their words, carrying them away, twirling and tumbling like little dust bunnies, so Hermione couldn’t hear Harry’s retort. But she did hear Ginny saying “ . . . sick this morning . . . known for a couple of weeks . . .”
Harry interrupted Ginny’s long explanation. “How did this happen?”
Ginny answered him with an impish expression, “How do you think it happened? “
“Okay, I know, I know. I guess that was a dumb thing to ask.”
“Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to spell it out.”
Harry said something Hermione couldn’t hear because he was turned away, but she did hear most of Ginny’s response, “No . . . don’t want to tell Mum yet . . . after everything she’s been through . . . Mum would be so disappointed . . . “
Harry kissed Ginny softly. “You’re right. The timing could be better. Let’s be careful, we don’t want anyone else to figure it out until . . .” He threw the Cloak back over them and she heard footsteps on the gravel indicating they were heading back to the castle.
Hermione saw the big doors open and shut and then she undid the body-binding spell, but immediately cast a Muffliato because she knew Ron’s response would be loud. And she was right. After a couple of minutes of his screaming and cursing Harry, his parents (implying they weren’t married), and all of his ancestors back to the primordial ooze they crawled out of, Hermione calmed him down.
“Get control of yourself, Ron. All this yelling isn’t going to fix anything.”
“Why did you stop me from killing him?”
“For heaven’s sake, he’s your best friend. You don’t want to hurt him.”
“I do want to hurt him. Badly. I want to blast his balls from here to Inverness. “
Hermione shuddered. “Thanks for putting that picture in my head. I don’t want to think about Harry’s bits at all.”
“But he’s been -“
“Yes! Yes! I know, Ron. Believe it or not, I do know what it takes to make a baby.”
“But we’re older and we haven’t even-“
“That’s because I’m old fashioned, I guess. But in any case, we can’t change it now.”
“She’s going to get kicked out of school. That’s going to break Mum’s heart.”
“Don’t despair too much yet. If we help her out, maybe she can keep it secret until the Christmas Holidays. Then we can think of some excuse about why she just can’t come back.”
“I don’t know what you are even thinking about. What kind of excuse could we possibly come up with?”
“I’m not sure yet. But I’ll think of something. The important thing is that we make sure Ginny is as healthy as possible. We need to make sure she eats right and does all the necessities. Your Mum would be thrilled to have a new grandbaby to love as long as it’s healthy and magical.”
“I still want to kill Harry.”
“Well that’s not really an option. We can’t even let them know that we know. We’ve got to keep this absolutely secret.”
Ron muttered a few more obscenities before he let Hermione drag him into the castle and up to the common room. It was probably best that both Ginny and Harry had already gone to bed.
****
The next morning, Hermione woke up at her usual time to find Ginny sitting up in bed, reading.
“Hey, Hermione. How are you this morning?”
“I’m good. How are you doing? Can I get you anything? A drink of water, maybe some toast from the kitchen?”
Ginny looked at her strangely. “Uh, no. I’m good. I’m hungry, though. I’m going to head down for breakfast. “
“I’ll join you. Give me just a minute.”
They went down to the Commons Room to wait for the boys because they all liked to eat breakfast together on Sunday mornings. They didn’t have to wait long, fortunately. Ginny was getting impatient, though. “I’m starting to get sick, I’m so hungry. That dumb brother of mine better be down here in five minutes or I’m going down myself.
Ron and Harry came into the Commons Room just a few minutes later, although Ron looked grumpy and was shooting both Ginny and Harry dirty looks. Hermione pulled him aside. “Look, if you’re going to keep everyone else from getting suspicious, you’ve got to relax. You don’t want it to get out, remember, for Ginny’s sake?”
Ron plastered on a fake smile. “You’re right, I’ll do my best. But Harry doesn’t even have the grace to look ashamed. It’s like he’s totally put it out of his mind that he’s humiliated my little sister.”
“He’s a better actor than you are, Ron. As far as he knows, you aren’t angry with him. Now shut up and act normal.”
“Fine. I’ll try.”
“I’ll kick you under the table if you keep this up. Now I’m going to watch what she eats today and see if it’s nutritionally sound. “
“Okay. I guess? Does it really matter what she eats?
Hermione raised her eyebrows. “Of course it does. Nutrition in the first few months of gestation is the most critical phase. The fact that Ginny is so young already raises some issues - and it’s really key if she wants the baby to have strong magical qualities. All sorts of studies are being done into why some families have squibs, or near squibs, and they’ve found that the mother’s health and nutrition during those first few critical weeks is an important factor.” Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a thick volume. “How to Have a Magical Baby when Your Blood is Muggle.” “I’ve got this book and if we follow what it says to the letter, we can practically guarantee that none of Harry’s Muggle blood will show up in the baby and break your mother’s heart.”
“Two questions. First, why do you have that book, which seems really stupid. Second, that sounds pretty close to Muggle-hating coming from you.”
“It’s not Muggle-hating to want your baby to be magic. Not at all. Genetics alone would make it more likely that someone like . . . . Harry, uh, you know with a Muggle-born mother would have a risk. And as for the book . . . . uh, well, it’s amazing what you can find in the school library.”
Ron looked even more puzzled. “That book was in the school library and you just picked it up, what, last night?
“Oh, never mind. Let’s just go!”
“Are you two done? I swear, I’m about to start gnawing Harry’s arm off. Let’s go eat!”
Hermione nodded significantly at Ron and they dutifully followed the other two down the stairs.
****
Down in the Great Hall, everybody took their usual places, Ron and Hermione sitting across from Harry and Ginny so they could visit easily. Today, Ron was glaring daggers in Harry’s direction and Hermione kept trying to distract him as well as keeping an eye on Ginny’s food intake. She nodded approvingly at Ginny’s whole grain toast and the pumpkin juice she poured. But she frowned at the bacon and sausage Ginny loaded onto her plate. “Are you sure you should be eating that? Bacon can be full of nitrites and who knows what’s in sausage.”
Ginny, Ron, and Harry all looked at her. “What?”
“Well, a little bacon’s okay once in a while, but, you know, it’s best eaten sparingly.”
Ginny scowled at her and took an extra piece of the bacon. “I like bacon, I’m hungry, and you seem to overcome your dislike enough to eat it yourself.”
“Well, I’ve been known to. But I think I’ll try to eat healthier now. I’m getting older, you know, and it’s best to eat as wisely as possible.”
Ginny just shook her head before stuffing the entire piece of bacon in her mouth. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Hermione, or you either, Ron, that you keep scowling at us. But whatever it is, I don’t care. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I’m headed up for a nap.” She ate her eggs quickly, took another piece of bacon just to show she didn’t care about Hermione’s opinion, and left the table.
Harry looked at the two of them before following her out of the Great Hall. “What she said. If you two are fighting, try to work it out before you take it out on us!”
Ron laughed despite his upset. “That worked well, didn’t it?”
Hermione grumbled. “It’s like she’s refusing to acknowledge she’s feeding a baby now. Stubborn thing.”
“Don’t say that out loud. Ginny was right when she said the paintings gossip. Remember it’s strictly between us.”
****
That evening Hermione was sitting in the Common’s Room busily reading her baby book when Ginny, Harry and Ron came in. Hermione quickly stuffed it back into her bag and smiled innocently at the three. “How was your Quidditch practice?”
“You mean pre-Quidditch practice since team tryouts are this weekend?”
“Uh, yeah, sure, whatever.”
“Ron seemed to enjoy it,” Ginny commented, giving her brother a sideways glance. Ron actually had a smile on his face; or at least a satisfied expression as Ginny continued. “He hit a bludger right at Harry’s head and . . .”
“Almost hit me,” Harry cut in, “except I ducked.
“Oh, good,” Hermione smiled at Harry and shot an exasperated glance at Ron, who continued to smile.
“Oh yeah,” Harry agreed grimly, “except I was so busy ducking the Bludger to my head that I didn’t notice the second one aimed for my stomach.”
“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to practice dodging Bludgers,” Ron countered smugly.
“Yeah,” Harry agreed with a grimace. “That was a mistake.”
“Okay, that’s nice,” Ginny said as she helped Hermione up from the chair and pulled Harry along. “All of that practice made me hungry. And I know the boys are hungry too.” Ron nodded eagerly while Harry grimaced again.
On the way down to the Great Hall Hermione took up a conversation she had had with Ginny previous to the Quidditch practice. “Are you sure you should be trying out for the Quidditch team? I mean, maybe you should take it easy and . . . um, focus on, you know, other things.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “For at least the fourth or fifth time, yes I want to try out for the team and I don’t have other things to focus on, that I care about, anyway.”
Down in the Great Hall they took their usual spots. Ron dived into roast beef, mashed potatoes and hot bread. Ginny followed suit while Harry, looking a little worse for wear, just picked at his food. Hermione had taken extra helpings of carrots and Brussels sprouts. She glanced at both Ginny’s and Ron’s plates which were noticeably absent of vegetables.
“Here Ginny,” Hermione said as she started ladeling Brussels sprouts onto Ginny’s plate, “these are good for you. You need them.”
Ginny gave Hermione an incredulous look. “I don’t like Brussels sprouts.”
“But they’re good for you.” Several more sprouts were dished onto her plate.
Ginny scowled. “But I don’t like them.”
“But they really are good for you. All kinds of vitamins that you and…uh…you need.” She put several more onto Ginny’s plate. By this time, Ginny , frowning, had rested her chin in her left hand and taken out her wand. As Hermione spooned the vegetables onto Ginny’s plate she sent them back into the dish with an irritated flick of her wand.
“Bloody hell, Hermione,” Harry finally moaned, “can’t you leave her be and let her eat what she wants?”
“Fine!” Hermione snapped and finished her meal in silence plotting what to do next since Ginny was in denial and obviously not taking care of her baby.
****
It was mid-afternoon the next day as Hermione made her way into the greenhouse where Neville Longbottom was working as an assistant to Mrs. Sprout. Neville had potting soil up to his elbows and grinned as he saw Hermione.
“Hi, Hermione, what brings you in here?” Neville busily cleaned his hands and arms and toweled them off as he motioned Hermione to an empty chair and then perched himself on a desk.
She smiled in appreciation and settled herself before introducing the topic. “Neville, I’m here hoping that somewhere in the greenhouses or in the gardens, you have access to Murtlap. I know someone who’s pregnant and I’ve read that it’s the best thing for helping the baby be healthy, strong, and magical.”
Neville blinked at her for a moment, as if expecting her to suddenly yell “Just kidding” and then laugh hysterically before telling him the real reason she was here. But when she didn’t, he cleared his throat. “Uh, you have a friend, who finds herself . . . in the family way?”
Hermione grimaced at the old-fashioned expression. “She’s pregnant, yes.”
“Healers give that plant out pretty regularly to their expecting patients. All she needs to do is ask at her regular visits.”
“I don’t think she’s seeing a healer. I don’t think she wants to admit she’s pregnant. She wants to keep it a secret.”
“Hmm. Well that’s ridiculous. It’s not that big of a deal, even if she’s not married. Her healer can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Truthfully, Neville . . . She can’t go to a healer. She’s here at Hogwarts. “
Neville’s eyes widened in surprise and there was a hint of a blush. “Oh, well, okay. Um, okay. Congratulations, I guess. Uh, you probably shouldn’t be too worried. The Weasleys are a powerful magical family and they’re very prolific. Arthur and Molly have certainly proved that and I’m sure it’s the same with Ron and you don’t need to worry. Any baby you have will almost certainly be very magical and very healthy.”
“I’m not pregnant, Neville. I know how to use birth control, well, if I even needed it, which I don’t.” She scowled at him. This was proving to be just as embarrassing as she was afraid of. “It’s not me, but I don’t want to tell you who it is.”
“I do have access to the plant, but I’m not giving you the juice until I know her size, weight, age, height, etc. You have undoubtedly read that this dosage has to be pretty precise. I don’t want to be handing out drugs that could hurt your friend or her baby.”
“Can’t I just give you some idea of it all?”
“No. Sorry. I’m not budging on that.”
“But if it gets out . . . it would be bad news.”
“Hermione, I’m not going to tell. I promise. I just don’t want the girl or her baby harmed in any way. I would feel terrible if . . .”
“Okay. Fine” Hermione gave Neville a frustrated look but relented. “It’s Ginny. She’s the one that’s pregnant.” Neville gave an involuntary gasp. His eyes were wider than before and his face paled. Hermione suddenly realized the significance of what she had said. “Oh Neville, I’m sorry. I should have . . . I don’t know. I just know you’ve always, well, you’ve always had a thing for her.”
Neville stiffly nodded his head and looked away for a moment. He finally mumbled. “Sorry. I knew Ginny and Harry were close. I just didn’t know they were . . .” His sentenced died away in a moment of uncomfortable silence until he turned and with renewed energy said,“I’ll get the correct dosage made up as soon as possible. Ginny’s a Weasley and that alone will probably mean a powerful magical baby. With Harry being the father of her baby,” his voice cracked as he said that, “I’m sure the baby will be fine. But I’ll do everything I can to help her.” Neville paused a moment and, fighting back emotion, “she’s special and deserves the best.”
“Thanks Neville.” Hermione gave him a hug and started to leave.
Neville, who had a contemplative expression, looked up. “So, how is Ron taking this?”
“Not well. But Ginny doesn’t know we know. She and Harry are keeping her pregnancy a secret for the time being. I think they’re hoping she can make it through this term without people finding out and then she’ll just not return next term. So, please don’t say . . .”
“Don’t worry,” Neville hurriedly jumped in. “I won’t say anything. I’ll just help you where I can.” Hermione smiled and turned to leave when Neville stopped her. He had a wicked grin. “I’ll bet Ron wants to blast Harry’s bits all over the Highlands for getting Ginny pregnant.” There was a slight note of hope in his voice.
“Ah,” Hermione cried out in mock disgust, “that’s the second time I’ve heard about Harry’s bits and I really don’t want the image in my mind.”
****
Over the next several days, Hermione stuck very close to Ginny at mealtime. Ron would distract Harry and Ginny and then she would drop in the required amount of the Murtlap essence into Ginny’s drink. Neville would keep a close eye on her to verify that she had put in enough and then Hermione would watch trying to make sure she drank the whole thing. It was a pain, true, but it was worth it since she knew Ginny’s baby was getting the right nutrition. Ginny made a face the first day and stopped drinking about halfway through and wouldn’t drink any more despite Hermione’s nagging. Same thing on the second. Finally, on the third day, she exclaimed, “Is it just me? Does everyone’s pumpkin juice taste like swamp water? I swear, I’m giving it up. From now on, I’m going to stick with just plain water. I don’t know what pumpkins they’re using to make this slop, but I’m sick of it!” She vanished the juice in her cup and filled it with water from her wand. “Ah, that’s better!”
Hermione, Ron, and Neville all exchanged concerned expressions and after the meal they huddled in the entry hall discussing their next options. Neville tried to reassure them. “If you tell her you know, she’d probably be more receptive to the idea of eating a little better.”
“No, we just can’t tell them.”
“Why not, exactly? I’m sure however you found out, they’ll forgive you. You guys have all been friends for years. And Ron, you’re her brother.”
“We sort of eavesdropped,” Hermione confessed. “We didn’t mean to, but we did, and since we heard them we really can’t admit we were there and didn’t announce ourselves.”
“Plus, we were on the grounds snogging after curfew, so we don’t want them to know that, either.”
“Thanks, Ron,” Hermione said. ‘I’m sure that was just what Neville wanted to hear.”
“That does make it more complicated. Look, I don’t know much about babies and all that, but I’ll tell you this. Ginny looks very happy and well. She’s active, eating, doing all the things normal healthy pregnant women do. I think the baby is fine, she’s fine, and you’re panicking over nothing.”
Hermione had to reluctantly agree with him. Ginny really was a picture of happy contentment. Other than being tired at the end of the day, which everyone was, she was showing no signs of being pregnant at all. She didn’t even seem to be getting morning sick. Hermione was jealous. No wonder Molly had seven kids if she had it as easy as Ginny had it. The lucky girl. “You’re right, Neville. I probably should relax unless something does go awry or Ginny starts having problems. There’s nothing to indicate any reason to worry.”
****
Just a couple of days later Hermione had cause to reconsider her resolution. She woke up on a cool and misty Saturday morning to see Ginny, still in her night shirt, sitting at the side of her bed. It was immediately obvious something was wrong. Hermione got out of her bed and walked over to Ginny who looked up and gave her a weak smile. Her face was pale. Well, perhaps more than just pale - it was a greenish pale.
“I’ve spent the past half hour in the bathroom being sick.”
“Oh,” Hermione said, feeling a little guilty for being pleased that Ginny’s pregnancy wasn’t as easy as she had first assumed.
“It must be a touch of the flu,” Ginny said as she queasily stood up and shrugged off her night shirt.
“The flu?” Hermione asked, hoping the tone of her voice didn’t sound as skeptical as she felt.
“Witches and wizards get the flu, uh, sometimes,” Ginny replied a little defensively as she dressed in loose clothing in preparation for the Quidditch try-outs later that morning.
****
At breakfast that morning, Ginny ate very little and Hermione again broached a subject that had caused a little tension between the two girls. “Ginny,” she said cautiously, “are you sure you want to play Quidditch this semester?”
Ginny shot her friend an irritated glance. “Why wouldn’t I want to play Quidditch?”
“Well,” Hermione said soothingly, “you were sick this morning and it, uh, might happen again . . . you know.”
“I’m fine,” Ginny growled as she quickly got up, grabbed her broom and marched out of the Great Hall before anyone else could join in the conversation.
****
Ginny not only made it through tryouts but, as had been expected, made it onto the team. Hermione wisely kept her concerns to herself and voiced only congratulations to her friend. Monday after classes was the first day of team practice and by the time Ginny came dragging her broom into the Gryffindor Commons she looked exhausted. Hermione, who had been reading a thick book by the fireplace, jumped up and helped Ginny into a soft chair.
“Here Ginny, put your feet up, it’s good for you.” Ginny gave her a grateful smile as she sat down.
Later, at dinner, Hermione broke her own self-made rule and again tried to force more vegetables onto Ginny’s plate. Ginny scowled at her and Hermione coaxed, “Come on, Ginny, you need more vegetables and more strength. Remember, you’re eating for two . . .” Hermione realized what she had just said and quickly tried to cover up her huge mistake. “Uh, for . . . for tonight.”
Ginny gave her a puzzled look. “For tonight? What do you mean I’m eating for tonight?”
Harry, Ron, Neville, and several other Gryffindor students were all staring at Hermione and she felt her face getting red. “You know, you have a lot of homework and you need your energy.”
“I don’t have that much homework,” Ginny muttered as she sent the vegetables back to the serving dish with a flick of her wand.
****
A few days later, a number of students were out on the castle grounds enjoying the sun and an echo of the now past summer. Hermione was sitting on the grass, a book in her hands and Ron’s head on her lap. Ginny and Harry had been sitting near them but decided to go for a walk down by the lake. Ginny seemed both healthy and content and that was what the three, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, wanted.
Neville, who had been out walking, approached the two.
“Hi guys. May I sit down?”
Ron sat up, rubbed his eyes and grinned. “Sure, Neville.”
Neville sat down and glanced over at Ginny and Harry by the lake. “She seems to be handling her pregnancy well. Almost like she wasn’t pregnant.” Ron made an angry noise and Neville jumped a little. “Uh, sorry Ron.”
About that time, Luna Lovegood approached the three. Her eyes was as large as ever and she had a knowing smile on her face. “There’s something special about Ginny. Lately I’ve seen an aura around her.”
“Wow,” Neville responded in amazement, “you can tell she’s pregnant?”
Luna’s big eyes grew even wider and her content smile turned to an expression of shock. “Ginny’s pregnant?”
“Oops,” muttered Neville as Hermione covered her face with her hand and Ron swore under his breath. “I thought you said there was something special about Ginny.”
“I meant I could tell she’s in love with Harry.”
“Oh,”
Luna looked contemplative. “How did she get pregnant?”
“How the hell do you think she got pregnant?” Ron growled. “Harry’s been . . . “
“I think,” Hermione cut in quickly and loudly to cover up Ron’s retort, “she means how a smart, powerful witch like Ginny wouldn’t think of performing a birth control charm. I’ve wondered that myself.”
Ron looked incredulous. “Would she really know a charm like that?”
“Yes, most teenage witches know . . .” Hermione stopped in mid-sentence because both Ron and Neville were looking at her in shock. “Oh, never mind. That’s not important.” She turned and looked at Luna. “Luna, you can’t tell anyone about Ginny being pregnant. She and Harry haven’t told anyone, not even Ron and me. We found out by accident.” Neville stifled a chuckle and both Hermione and Ron scowled at him. Hermione again looked at Luna. “So Luna, please don’t tell Ginny anything.”
“Don’t tell me what?” Everybody jumped and turned to see Ginny and Harry, hand-in-hand, walking up to them.
“Oh,” Luna replied airily, “don’t tell you that I know you’re pregnant.” There were groans of frustration from the other three as Ginny and Harry starred at her in complete shock
“Wh-what?” Ginny stammered. “Did you say pregnant?”
“Oh yes,” Luna smiled, “we know you’re pregnant, but we won’t tell anyone.”
Ginny’s eyes were wide and her face flushed. “You think I’m pregnant? What the hell gave you that idea?” Before anyone answered her face went even redder. “You think Harry and I have been . . .”
“Then you’re really not pregnant?” Hermione was truly bewildered. “But you were talking about being pregnant and . . .”
“Well I’m not,” Ginny snapped back. “There’s no possible way I could be pregnant and . . .” She stopped for a moment as comprehension flashed across her face. “How did you hear me talking about being pregnant?”
Hermione blushed. “That doesn’t matter. Ron and I heard you talking about being pregnant.”
“I’m not pregnant” Ginny yelled and Harry moved to calm her down as he looked around to see who might be listening. Several students had turned toward the commotion but quickly looked away as Harry glared at them. “Fleur is pregnant.”
“What?” Ron asked in amazement.
“A couple of weeks ago when we met everyone in Hogsmeade, I went to the loo and Fleur was in there getting sick. She had really bad morning sickness. She made me promise not to tell anyone because of concern about Bill’s being a werewolf and all of that. Mum’s been through so much, she didn’t want her to get her hopes up and then have something go wrong. Both Fleur and Bill plan to tell everyone when they know for sure it’s going to be okay.”
“But you also had morning sickness,” Hermione persisted. “Remember last Saturday before the Quidditch tryouts?”
Ginny had an embarrassed expression. “Hermione, it was nerves.” Harry gave his girlfriend a surprised look and Ginny continued. “I was nervous. We didn’t play Quidditch last year and we had been through so much . . . I had been . . . I was afraid I wouldn’t have it anymore. Everyone expected so much from me. I was afraid I’d let everyone down.”
“I’m sorry, Ginny. Ron and I obviously jumped to the wrong conclusion and then saw what we wanted to see.”
“Now I understand why you and Ron have been acting so weird lately,” Ginny smiled. “Force-feeding me extra vegetables and . . .”
“They’re good for you even if you're not pregnant.” Hermione replied a little defensively. "And you may want to try the pumpkin juice again. I was adding Murtlap to it for the baby."
Ron grinned at Harry. “Sorry, mate. I wanted to kill you when I thought you’d got Ginny preggers.” Harry returned a weak smile.
“But I still don’t know how you could have heard me telling Harry about Fleur since . . .” She broke off, obviously realizing she was about to implicate herself.
“We were out snogging in the bushes and . . .
“Ro-on,” Hermione, blushing profusely, cut him off.
“You were outside the castle, in the bushes, eavesdropping on us?”
“Yes,” Hermione answered uncomfortably.
“So let me get this straight,” Ginny smirked, “you two were out after curfew rolling around in the bushes. Since we’re talking about what causes pregnancy, is there any announcement you want to make, Hermione?”
Hermione gasped as the others, even Ron, all broke out laughing. “Ginny, you know that’s not . . .”
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Ginny crowed, “I’m going to get some sweet revenge.”