Those Crazy Nine Months

CHAPTER THREE

"- used him to harvest a plant? Honestly Neville." A woman's voice is laughing through the haze. 'Neville...? Where am I...?' Harry's thoughts mumble as he tries to open his eyes.

"I might've lost my job if I hadn't. I doubt he'll mind," Neville replied to the teasing, sulkily. "Oh look, he's waking up..."

The feeling of a cold cloth being placed onto his forehead helps Harry open his eyes. The first thing his sees is the concerned look on Hermione's face. "Ugh... What happened, 'Mione?" He asks, trying to sit up on the couch they had placed him on.

"Slow down there Harry, you fainted," Hermione answers, helping Harry into a sitting position. "Here, eat this," she orders, handing him piece of chocolate.

Slowly munching the chocolate, Harry ponders, wondering why he fainted. Looking around the room, his gaze falls on Hermione, then Neville, then a basket filled to the brim with tiny yellow flowers. "Ancula Parvulus... Gosh Neville, how long was I out? Looks like you got the whole bush there?" He says with a grin plastered on his face. Hermione knows better though, she knows Harry is hiding from something he doesn't want to talk about.

Neville blushes, wringing his gloves in his hand. "I couldn't let them close up again, Harry... You understand..."

Harry just smiles at him, before turning to Hermione. His smile drops and he sighs at the look on Hermione's face. "So you think so, too, huh? Is it really possible?" he asks softly, looking at his hands in his lap.

"After everything else you've seen since you were eleven, you doubt that anything is possible here?" Hermione says softly, placing her hand on his knee. "You've fought the most powerful Dark Lord of our time multiple times, ridden on a seemingly invisible horse, a broom, and a hippogriff. You've even out-flown a dragon, and you have a hard time believing? Come on Harry, you can talk to snakes. There's nothing you can't do."

"The plants don't lie, Harry. Trust me, I've tried to get that one to bloom using various illusions and charms and it didn't work," Neville says softly, sitting on the couch next to him.

Wrapping his arms around his stomach gently, Harry says softly, "Well, that would explain the dreams... Lately I've been having dreams about coming home to... Michael... and a baby. Oh Merlin... Michael..." Tears shine in the corners of his eyes as he grips his forearms with his hands. "What am I going to tell him..?"

Hermione rubs Harry's knee, trying to be helpful as she says, "I'm sure he'll understand."

"Oh yeah, I can just see that conversation. 'Hi honey, I'm home. By the way, we're going to have a baby because I'm actually a Wizard and my magic is so powerful it can grant my personal desires without my even knowing I want them. So time to go to Luca's?' He's a Muggle Hermione! There's no way he'll understand!" Harry declares as the tears start to fall.

Neville, overcome with compassion for Harry's plight, wraps his arms comfortingly around Harry's shoulders.

"I'm so sorry Harry, but at least now you have time to tell him. Imagine if you had waited? You would have started showing in another two or three months." Hermione says, "This way, you will be able to tell him before it gets really confusing."

"As if it's not confusing enough..." Harry mumbles.

"We could go with you... If you want, Harry. When you tell him," Neville offers shyly, gently rubbing Harry's back. Realizing that he offered Hermione's assistance without even asking her, he looks over at her with an apologetic smile on his face.

Hermione smiles back to him, nodding that it was ok. "Of course we will. If you want."

Harry stands suddenly. "How am I going to get home? What if I hurt the baby coming here? Apparating is bad for a pregnant person, isn't it? I have to get going or I'm going to be late for dinner. My fireplace doesn't take incoming floos," Harry rambles as he starts pacing.

"Calm down, Harry, stress is bad for babies too," Hermione says, as she and Neville rise to their feet at the same time. Hermione steps over to a nearby desk and pens out a note on a spare bit of parchment. Folding it into a paper airplane she charms it to fly to her head assistant. "Come Harry, I'll drive you home. Mum bought me a car when I became a mediwitch, and I prefer to use that then floo when just coming into the office."

Smiling reassuringly to Harry, Hermione starts to lead him to the door. She glances over her shoulder as Neville falls into place at Harry's other side. Noticing the genuine concern on his face, she does nothing but nod and continue walking.