Moments of Love

Hermione stood at the kitchen window and watched Ron tickle baby James's toes in the pram. He waved Harry and Ginny goodbye and walked to the porch, muddy and flushed from the exercise. The door banged and he came in, shaking his head.

'I think a bee flew in my hair.'

'Ron...'

'I saw it buzz straight at me. I tried to wave it away, but the sod just got tangled in my hair. Can you see it?'

'Ron, I'm...'

'Harry said there's nothing in there, but I swear I can still hear it buzzing.'

'Ron, I'm pregnant!'

'It might just -' Ron halted, his hands in his hair. 'What?'

'I - I think I'm pregnant,' Hermione repeated, fidgeting with her hands. 'I mean, I'm so tired all the time, and I feel nauseous in the mornings, and it would really make sense since we haven't, well, done anything to prevent it.'

'Pregnant?' Ron said in an odd voice. 'You're pregnant?'

Hermione nodded. Ron stared at her for a moment without saying a word, and Hermione was just about to tell him to say something, for heaven's sake, when she was enveloped in a bear hug and lifted off her feet.

'A baby!' Ron laughed and twirled her around. 'Woo-hoo! We're going to have a -' He stopped as suddenly as he had started and put Hermione carefully back down. 'Are you all right? I didn't hurt you or the baby, did I?'

'No, I'm fine,' Hermione said with a chuckle. 'Besides, it's not even a hundred-percent sure yet; I have to do a test first.'

'I think you better sit down,' Ron said stubbornly and steered Hermione to an armchair. 'We don't want to take any risks.'

Hermione felt dizzy enough to accept the offer and sink into the squishy chair. Ron immediately thrust a pillow behind her back, which amused her, but she kept a straight face.

'We have to buy a test,' she said. 'Although, there is a spell, too, but I'm not sure where I read about it, and it might take some time to learn it.'

'Let's buy a test, it's quicker. Where do we get one?' Ron asked, now setting Hermione's feet on a pouffe.

'The chemist. Oh, but you know, I'm pretty sure I've seen pregnancy tests at the grocers.'

They looked at each other, and Ron cleared his throat.

'Who's going to buy it?'

'I can do it,' Hermione said, but Ron flung a blanket over her legs.

'You stay here and rest. I'll go.'

'But you're even ashamed to buy toilet paper -how could you possibly buy a pregnancy test?' Hermione said teasingly.

Ron hassled with the blanket, his ears crimson.

'I'll think of something,' he muttered. 'D'you want some tea?'

'No, go on. I want to know as soon as possible.'

Ron grinned and hurried out after pressing a hasty kiss on her lips.

Hermione sat quite still for the whole time that Ron was away. She could always have read a report or a book, but she couldn't -not right now. Her whole body was strained to the maximum as she waited to hear steps in the garden.

After fifteen minutes, the door slammed and a beetroot Ron appeared in the doorway with two bulging bags.

'So, did a little shopping on the side, then?' Hermione said, her mouth twitching.

'Don't laugh,' Ron said darkly and dropped the bags. 'I thought that if I'd buy a lot of stuff, Mr Puttywhip wouldn't notice the test. But no, he had to rush off to help Mrs Raines with the test in his hand. He was waving it about like a bloody madman!'

'Oh dear,' Hermione said and rose up to examine the bags. 'I told you I wouldn't have minded doing it. What's this? Five packets of...dried tomatoes?'

'At least I got the test,' Ron said and pulled a white packet from under a box of oats. 'And look at the bright side: we don't have to do any shopping for a couple of days.'

'Yes, if Molly has a recipe for oats and dried tomatoes,' Hermione began, but Ron tapped the test packet.

'Come on!'

They hurried over to the bathroom, and Hermione ripped the packet open with trembling hands. Inside was a folded sheet of instructions and a pale yellow stick.

'I think you're supposed to pee on that,' Ron said.

'I know, but I wonder...ah!' Hermione poked at the instructions. 'See here. In order to find out whether you are pregnant or not, pee on the stick, point your wand at it, and use the Gestatus Spell. Instructions below. If the stick turns purple, you are pregnant. If it turns green, you are not pregnant.'

'You'll want to wash your wand afterwards, though,' Ron said with a grin. 'Okay, shoot.'

'I can't do it if you're watching!' Hermione said indignantly and put the instructions in the sink.

'You've done worse things when I've watched...'

'Ron!'

'Ok, ok. But you better come out right away when you get the result.'

It took Hermione a few tries to get to the spell; she was simply too nervous to function effectively. The Gestatus Spell was easy, and as soon as she had done it, the colour of the white square in the stick changed. Hermione fumbled open the door, dropping her wand in the process, but she didn't care.

'Look!' She shoved the violently shaking stick under Ron's nose. 'It's purple! Really purple!'