A Reason for Crisis

Chapter Two: Pink

Hermione closed her eyes and picked up the test. "Here it goes," she said. She opened her eyes and stared it, her expression blank.

After what she was sure was a whole minute, Ginny said, "W-what does it say?"

Hermione gave a big sigh then handed Ginny the test. "It's positive." It was all she managed to say.

Ginny looked at it. Sure enough the box said 'pink for positive' and the line on the test was defiantly pink.

"What do I do now?" Hermione asked, looking up at Ginny.

Ginny was at a loss of words. She just looked at her worried friend.

"I will have to tell my parents and Ron and..." Hermione trailed off. "Oh, god," she whispered before she broke into sobs. "Oh god, oh god, oh god..." These seemed to be the only words in her mind. She couldn't think of anything else.

Ginny put an arm around Hermione, trying to comfort her. But she still couldn't think of anything to say.

So they just sat there, Hermione crying while Ginny stayed silent. They must have sat there for twenty minutes before Ginny finally said, "Hermione, it's late, why don't you just go to bed? We can worry about everything tomorrow."

Hermione agreed and left. But both girls knew that they wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

*****

The next day at breakfast Ron and Harry were arguing.

"Harry, come on," Ron was saying, "it wouldn't be that much of a bother, and we could really flatten Slytherin this year."

"Ron, I don't want to play Quidditch this year."

"Why the bloody hell not?!" Ron asked.

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Language!"

"Oh, come on, mum," Bill Weasley said while walking into the kitchen with Fleur in hand. "He's of age isn't he?"

"Well, whether he's of age or not, he is still in my house, and he will obey my rules. Just like you will, understood?"

"Calm down, mum. We're looking. We have come across a couple of hopeful options that we were going to check out today." He picked up a piece of toast and bit into it. "Alright?"

Mrs. Weasley dropped it, but she still had an annoyed look on her face. Ron, on the other hand, had started to pester Harry again.

"Just try it," he was saying. "You wouldn't even have to be captain. You could just play."

"Ron," Harry said, sounding very annoyed and rather angry as well. "I said no."

"Harry," Ron started to say, but was interrupted.

"Ron, just shut up and give it a rest already!"

Everyone looked around, shocked, at Hermione.

She hadn't really said anything that morning. She just sat there, not really eating either, while Ginny talked to her quietly.

Ron just stared at her while Mrs. Weasley asked, "Hermione, are you alright? You look a bit ill."

"Oh," Hermione started, looking a bit nervous. "No, I'm fine, just a bit tired. I think I'll go upstairs and lie down."

"Alright, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'll send you up some soup if you would like later."

*****

After breakfast Ginny went looking for Hermione and found her in the bathroom.

"Hermione, are you all right?" she asked, knocking on the door.

Instead of an answer, she heard the toilet flush and the door opened.

"Morning sickness, is all," Hermione said.

Ginny nodded. "Hermione," she said, "have you thought about what you are going to tell Ron?"

Hermione nodded. "I've thought about it a little."

"And..." Ginny prompted.

"I'm not going to tell him."

"What?!" Ginny exclaimed, frowning.

"Not yet at least," Hermione went on. "I will have to tell him eventually, obviously, but I'm not planning on it being soon."

Ginny was shocked. "What the hell are you talking about?!" she exclaimed. "You have to tell Ron!"

"Tell Ron what?" a voice said.

The girls turned look at who the owner of the voice was. It seemed that Harry had just come around the corner and had witnessed the last statement that Ginny had said. They just stared at him.

"Tell Ron what?" he asked again.

Hermione glared at Ginny. "Nothing," she said and turned to walk away from her two friends.

"Oh no you don't," Harry said, grabbing her arm. "You're not getting off that easy, Hermione Granger. Tell me what's going on."

"Never you mind," she said, trying to pull her arm away. But Harry kept his grip firm.

"Hermione, Ginny," he started slowly, "one of you is going to have to tell me whatever secret it is that you are keeping." Then he smiled. "Or perhaps you would want to tell Ron first."

"No!" Hermione yelled. "Just leave him out of this for now."

Harry frowned. "This is really serious, isn't it?" he asked.

Hermione and Ginny nodded.

"Come in here, you guys," Ginny said, going down the hall and opening the door to her bedroom. "I think we should sit down and have a chat. What do you think?"

*****

"WHAT?!" Harry bellowed.

"I'm pregnant." Hermione repeated.

Harry just stared at her for a minute. Then sighed. "Right," he said, "I agree with Ginny, you have to tell Ron."

It was Hermione's turn to sigh that time. "It's not that simple," she said.

Ginny actually laughed at that, though it was a nervous laugh. "Hermione, we know it's not going to be easy to tell him," she said. "But you still have to."

Hermione took a breath. "I know I have to tell him," she said. "And I will. I just need some time to grasp this before I tell him."

"Hermione," Harry started, "you may not want to hear this from me, but I don't think this is something that you should wait to tell."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"Who else are you going to tell, anyway?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I will have to tell my parents of course," she said. "And I should tell someone at the school too."

"You're going back to school?" Harry asked her.

Hermione looked at him, shocked. "Of course I am," she said. "What? Did you think I would drop out?"

Oh no, she suddenly thought. They will let me go back to school wouldn't they?

Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Do you think the school would allow it?"

"Well," Hermione started. "I don't care what the school thinks." She said this slowly, still thinking.

Ginny gaped at her. "What?" she asked.

"I just won't tell them until after we start. They can't really do anything about it then, could they?"

They all stopped to think of that last question. They were all thinking just about the same thing too. They could just tell her to leave.

Hermione got up and started to pace the room. Suddenly she screamed in exasperation. "Why does this have to happen to me?!" she yelled. "What did I do wrong?!"

Ginny got up and hugged Hermione. "Calm down," she said.

"What for?!" Hermione continued to yell. "I am in so much trouble, what difference does it make if I yell?!"

"Well," Harry put in, "unless you want the whole house to know what's going on, you should probably keep your voice down."

Hermione glared at Harry. "Shut up!" she yelled.

Harry recoiled as the door opened. Ron started to walk into the room, but then stopped as he saw everyone.

Ginny, with her arms still around Hermione, Hermione glaring at Harry in an almost murderous way, and Harry looking frightened, as though he were scared that Hermione would actually kill him.

"What's going on in here?" Ron asked the three of them slowly.

They all looked at him.

"Nothing," Hermione snapped. "I was just leaving."

"Hermione," Harry and Ginny both started at the same time, but Hermione cut them off.

"Talk to you guys later," she said to them. And then she walked out the door before anyone could say another word.

After she was in the hallway she leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. She would have to tell Ron soon. If she didn't, someone else was bound to. And it would be nice if he found out from me first, she thought.