The Consequences of Alcohol and Depression

The Consequences of Alcohol and Depression

Chapter 10: Kicking

The weather slowly became colder as the weeks got later. One evening, Hermione and Percy quickly walked into their flat, shivering. Hermione was muttering angrily under her breath.

"Well how was I supposed to know it would start raining?" Percy asked logically; Hermione simply glared at him. They had gone for a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron, and the rain had started to pour as they walked home.

Hermione and Percy both headed for their bedrooms quickly, changing into dry clothes. That was something else that was irking Hermione. Her ever-expanding belly was getting larger and larger, and she now had to wear baggy maternity clothing.

As soon as she was comfortably dry, Hermione headed towards the kitchen to find Percy already there. "Here," he said, handing Hermione a mug of warm hot chocolate. "How about we go warm up a bit?"

"That sounds great," Hermione said, taking a deep drink from her cup. She Levitated the sofa so it was sitting right in front of the fire before she sat down almost directly in front of the grate; Percy sat down right beside her so he could also take advantage of the warm flames.

Hermione quickly rubbed her hands together as she tried to warm herself; she was absolutely shivering. Percy noticed, of course, being almost in direct contact with her.

"Let me get a blanket," he said, sounding worried as he pulled his wand from his pocket. With a quick 'Accio!', a warm blanket came soaring in the room. Percy spread it over himself and Hermione, wrapping his arms around her. "Better?" he asked.

"Much," Hermione replied, sinking down into his warm embrace and resting her head on his shoulder. As she breathed in the spicy scent of his cologne, Hermione's head spun. 'Knock it off, Granger!' she thought silently, resisting the temptation to smack herself on the head. 'You and Percy are just friends, and will never be more. Don't think like that!'

However, another, more devious part of her mind chose that moment to kick in. 'But you want it to be, don't you? You want to turn to him and kiss him senseless.' Hermione chewed on the inside of her lip. 'I don't like Percy like that, do I?' And again, the devious side of her mind started up. 'I think it's a little more than 'like', honey.'

"Oh, shut up," Hermione said, this time out loud.

"What?" Percy asked, turning his head to her. Hermione blushed furiously when she realized she had spoken out loud.

"Nothing," she said quickly, staring intently into the fire.

******

One Monday not too long after, Hermione was having an awful day. She had woken up late after being up all night and had to rush to work with just enough time to brush her teeth and throw on her robes, only to find out that she was still late. She had left her latest report, due that day, at home, her robes were feeling very tight as she needed to buy new ones yet again, she had to work through lunch to make up for the time she'd lost in the morning, and to top it all off, she ran into a door, smacking her head very hard.

Needless to say, when she got home, she was in an absolutely dreadful mood. She stormed into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner, not even bothering to see if Percy was home yet. As soon as she had everything on the stove, she sat down heavily in a chair, resting her forehead against the cool wood.

Percy tentatively poked his head in. "Hermione?" he asked cautiously.

"What?" she asked sharply, lifting her head to glare at him. Percy cowered under her gaze.

"Um, nothing," he said, shaking his head as he quickly made an exit from the room. Hermione placed her head on the table again, feeling angry tears welling in her eyes. And try as she might to fight them, they came pouring out.

After a few minutes, Percy tried his luck again. "Mione, are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her back. Hermione hadn't even heard him enter the room.

"No," she said tearfully, "I had a really awful day."

"Oh, come here," Percy said softly, pulling her into a hug. Hermione sobbed into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's alright, Mione," he said, uttering soft, comforting noises in her ear as he stroked her hair.

"Thank you," Hermione breathed, nuzzling her face into his neck.

"It's no problem," Percy replied quietly, placing a soft kiss on her temple. "What happened?"

Hermione sighed heavily. "I woke up late, I forgot my report, I didn't get to have lunch, and I walked into a door!"

"Aww, poor baby," he said, gently brushing her hair away from her face. Suddenly remembering the food on the stove, Hermione quickly tried to jump up.

"Oh, dinner'll be ruined!" she moaned. Percy quickly put his hands on her shoulder and made her sit down.

"Just relax, I'll take care of it. You do too much as it is," he said, quickly marching to the stove and stirring the sauce. Hermione sat back in her chair and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. As Percy stood over the stove, Hermione couldn't help but think of how she'd felt when he'd hugged her. He was very warm and soft, and his touch had sent jolts throughout her body.

'Stop it!' she ordered her brain. Once again, that irritating voice in the back of her head spoke up. 'Stop what? Falling for him? Ha, ha, too late!' Hermione groaned silently. She knew it was true she was falling for Percy. As complicated as the situation already was, she had to go and make it more so. 'God, I hate myself sometimes.'

A few moments later, Percy pulled the roast out of the over. "Diner!" he said brightly. They ate in a companionable silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. Hermione was still very mad at her subconscious for pointing out the obvious. 'As if Percy would ever feel anything for me,' she thought sadly, poking at her food. For one who missed lunch, she sure wasn't hungry.

When they had both finished eating (Percy hadn't eaten much, either), they took their dishes to the sink, where Percy washed and Hermione dried, much to Percy's chagrin. When he had subtly suggested that she go sit down by the fire, she had told him in a very unsubtle way where he could go.

As soon as the last dish was dry and put away, Hermione turned to Percy. "Now I'll go sit down."

"Thank you," he replied, smiling.

Just before Hermione got to the door, she stopped suddenly, placing a hand on her stomach. "Oh!" she said, breathing deeply.

"Hermione, what is it?" Percy asked urgently, rushing over. "What's the matter?"

A sudden smile hit Hermione's face, one that could have lit up the sky. "Percy, the baby kicked."

"It did?" he asked in wonder.

"Yes," she replied, taking Percy's hand. "Here, feel." Hermione gently placed his hand where hers had been previously, and Percy nearly jumped when he felt the tiny kick.

"Oh, wow..." he said softly, his face also lighting up. "Mione, this is wonderful." Percy quickly dipped his head and kissed Hermione's cheek, pulling her into a hug. Luckily, he didn't see the blush that rose on her cheeks. She put her arms around him and hugged back for several moments, until Percy laughed.

"What is it?" she asked, pulling back.

"I felt it kicking," he said softly, rubbing his stomach where her belly had been pressed against him. Hermione just grinned and hugged him again. The day was now officially classified as 'good'.