How Do You Choose Between What is Right and What is Easy?

Nikki__uno

Story Summary:
Harry & Hermione cheat on Ginny & Ron together. One night, Ginny catches them in the act, & she has only one person to turn to - Draco Malfoy, who she has been friends with since the beginning of the year. Draco has an idea - give Potter a taste of his own medicine & see how he likes the feeling of being betrayed by someone he trusts. Ginny agrees. The next day, Ginny reveals to Harry what she was doing the night before, & with whom. They argue about it & Harry's affair, & Ron overhears. He confronts Harry, then Hermione. Ginny leaves the common room & the traitorous Gryffindors behind. Everything quiets down & seems to come to some semblance of normalcy - until Hermione & Ginny both find out they're pregnant.

Chapter 27 - Chapter 28

Chapter Summary:
Hermione goes to the hospital wing to have Madam Pomfrey check out her "illness" and gets startling results.
Posted:
11/09/2008
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904


Chapter 28

Hermione paced the common room, trying to figure out what exactly she should do. She knew she should go to Madam Pomfrey so she could figure out what was wrong with her.

But she was scared. Terrified, really.

If she just had a bug, Madam Pomfrey could fix her up in a minute. But if she was pregnant....

If she was pregnant, she would be all alone. She would have no one. And that thought terrified her. She sat down slowly in one of the armchairs by the fire - the very best one, which was a deep ruby red with gold trim. It was very plush, which she knew would make it hard for her to get up, but she didn't care.

Hermione had sat in the chair for ten full minutes before she decided what exactly she was going to do. The fact that she heard people starting to move around upstairs definitely helped her in her decision, too. She got up as quickly as she could, not wanting to be caught in the common room by anyone else from Gryffindor. Not that they would say anything to her anyway, really, but the looks would be enough.

She turned around and headed to the portrait hole. When she reached it, she pushed it open as silently as possible, wincing when it creaked a little. She pushed it open the rest of the way and slipped through it, letting it slide shut behind her.

The walk to the hospital wing was not short. She took the long way around because she didn't want to get there too fast. She knew that Ginny and Malfoy were still in the hospital wing, and Ron was probably visiting his sister. And though she knew she needed to see Madam Pomfrey as soon as possible, she had absolutely no desire to come face-to-face with any of them.

When she finally reached the hospital wing, she stopped outside the door to compose herself. She was so nervous about going in there. She didn't know what to expect, really. Finally, after about five minutes of pacing back and forth, she got up the nerve and put her hand on the doorknob. She turned the knob and pushed the door slowly open.

It was as she had expected - and feared. Draco and Ginny were sitting side-by-side together on one of the sparsely-white hospital wing beds, looking at each other and laughing. Ron was sitting at the edge of the same bed. He was laughing, too. Hermione thought she must be going crazy, because it seriously looked like Ron was enjoying himself. Thoroughly.

Which seemed utterly impossible.

Figuring she would think about it later, Hermione took off along the aisle between the numerous white beds, and towards Madam Pomfrey's door. As she passed the bed that Ron, Ginny, and Malfoy were on, all three stopped laughing abruptly and gave her an intense glare. Ron got up off the bed quickly, and shut the curtain so hard and fast that one of the rungs on the top of the curtain snapped and fell to the floor. Seemingly, no one noticed but Hermione.

After taking another moment to compose herself, she continued on to Madam Pomfrey's door, which was white just like every single other thing in the ward, other than the portraits of the witches and wizards who had preceded Madam Pomfrey in her position at the school.

She reached the door and stood in front of it. The hospital wing was deadly silent, except for the muffled sounds of Ron, Ginny, and Malfoy that were coming from behind the curtain surrounding Ginny's bed, and the muffled movements of several other patients who were hidden behind curtains as well.

Hermione took a deep breath. She lifted her right hand, and knocked three times on the door. And she waited.

She didn't have to wait long.

After only several moments, the door opened abruptly, but silently. Madam Pomfrey stood in the doorway, dressed in her usual white uniform. She was holding a piece of parchment in her hand, which she had presumably just been reading. The paper was only at chest height now, though, and Madam Pomfrey was staring Hermione straight in the face, waiting for her to say something.

"Well?" Madam Pomfrey asked, expectantly, when nothing immediately came out of Hermione's mouth.

"Um... Madam Pomfrey... I wanted to talk to you about something. Can I...." She paused for a moment, clearing her throat. "Um... would you mind if I... came in, and... and talked to you?"

"Well, not at all. Come right it. Why didn't you just say so?" She smiled as she stood aside, letting Hermione walk past her into the office, and shutting the door behind her. She walked around her desk and sat down on the plush armchair behind it, before putting out her hand and offering Hermione a chair on the other side (this one was not quite so plush, but Hermione accepted it gratefully).

After several moments of silence, Madam Pomfrey said, "So, what is it you wish to speak to me about, Ms. Granger?"

"Well... I've been getting sick a lot lately."

"Explain."

"Well, I've been waking up every morning for almost a week, and vomiting before I can even get out of bed. I've had to keep a waste basket by my bedside so I don't get it all over myself or the floor. I can clean up the mess, but I haven't found a spell yet that will get rid of the mess and the smell."

"Have you been having any other symptoms?"

"Like what?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Have you had any mood swings? Any cramping?"

"No mood swings. Some cramping, though, but that's only when I throw up."

"What about your period? When was your last period? When is your next one due?"

"I'm actually supposed to be on it now. I'm late a day or two, but that's not a big deal, is it?" Hermione asked. She looked a little worried.

"It may not be. Now, have you spotted any?"

"Spotted?"

"Just a couple spots of blood."

"Actually, I did this morning." There was silence in the office. "What does that mean?" Hermione asked, really worried now.

"It may mean nothing," Madam Pomfrey said. "Now, this may be an embarrassing question, but I need the truth from you."

"About what?"

"Have you been sexually active?"

This was exactly the question Hermione had been afraid of, but she thought it best to answer her truthfully. She looked down sheepishly and embarrassed. "Yes, I have."

"And when was this?" Madam Pomfrey asked, all formalities continued.

"Probably two weeks or so ago. I don't really remember."

Madam Pomfrey was silent for a moment. "I will have to run a test to be sure," she said, "but I believe I have an idea on what your problem is."

"You do?" Hermione asked. "What?"

"I believe you may be pregnant."