Baby Baby

* ~ * Cry of the Child * ~ *

Hermione pulled open the balcony door and slipped outside into the cool night air, she looked upwards with a sigh. The sky was black and cloudy, and there was only a grey glow where the moon hid away behind a cloud. It was a very dull night. She turned a little and shut the balcony door again, walking over to the railings and looking at the street below. It was almost deserted, except for the drunken couple making their way back from The Three Broomsticks. She glanced over at Honeydukes and smiled, remembering the previous day there.

She and Ron had broken in just after closing, firstly because Ron wanted to sneak a box of Sugar Quills into Hogwarts for Dennis Creevey (he liked to help students in breaking rules apparently), then secondly to make love on the counter. That wasn't the original reason obviously, it had just happened that way. He'd smuggled the box into his robes then spun abruptly and knocked her over, they'd landed nose-to-nose on the stone floor. One thing led to another and the robes came off, Ron lifted her onto the counter and the rest is history as they say.

Now was a different matter though, Ron was asleep inside their hotel room, she was out there. Running her fingers along the top of the railings she closed her eyes, blinking away tears. The blinking only caused for one to spill down her cheek, grazing her rose coloured blush. She lifted her hand and wiped it away, sniffling slightly and sat down on the wicker chair behind her.

It had been four years since she had stepped foot inside Hogwarts herself, but Ron spent a lot of time there as the assistant Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The only reason of course he had this job was because Harry was the main Professor, and had been for the past two years. Harry received the job after a female Professor, Hilary Rose Lancaster. She'd lost it after being found to be poisoning the House-Elves; no one was sure why she'd done it though. Hermione was especially mad at her.

As for her life, it had been better, but was still heavenly. She and Ron had given into their childish emotions by finally kissing on Graduation Day, while the picture was being taken. A lovely Wizarding photograph had recorded the moment, and everyone in their year ended up with a photo of them succumbing to their passion, over and over and over again. Of course they'd laughed about it at first, now it was just embarrassing if it ever came up in conversation, there were so much more important things to talk about. Such as their engagement, Ron had asked her to marry him exactly a month ago.

A week later Hermione found out she couldn't have children.

It wasn't like it was a huge revelation; she'd had an idea anyway. Not to be taken the wrong way, it wasn't like they were trying for a baby, they were hardly even adults yet. Hermione had spent a good day crying though and no one could bring her out of it, not Ron, not Ginny, not Harry. Ron suggested a spell, but she'd assured him there were no spells to solve her problem. This depressed Ron as well.

So the weekend in Hogsmeade was meant to be a reconciliation of their relationship and proof of their love, so far it had just been a mad sex romp. Hermione didn't mind that it was, in fact it was better that way, it took her mind of the other things happening. All she wanted at that precise moment was to lose herself in his touch, but as he was fast asleep it wasn't exactly going to happen. Not like she could shake him awake saying, 'Ron, wake up... I need to have sex, and now!' No, she wouldn't do that, Ron loved his sleep and she respected that.

Shifting a little in her seat, she rested her head on the arm of the chair, her dark hair falling across her face and closed her eyes. Sleep would also have been good right now if she could actually get to sleep, she was having a lot of trouble though. Her mind kept drifting to the moment she'd been told of her misfortune. 'I'm so sorry, Hermione,' Doctor James had said, 'but you're not going to be able to have children...' Then he'd gone on about a lot of technical processes, the majority Hermione couldn't even remember, she'd been too shocked. Ron had gone a ghostly white and looked ready to faint, five minutes later he had in fact passed out. She didn't blame him.

"Baby?"

Hermione opened her eyes suddenly and looked around at the balcony doors. Ron was stood there wearing only his pyjama bottoms and a weak smile, he brushed his hand over his forehead and looked at her with tired eyes. She smiled and watched as reflections of candle light from the room danced across his glassy blue eyes.

"What are you doing out here?" he continued, stepping outside to join her. He paused as his feet fell upon the cold floor and he wrapped his arms around himself before starting over to her again. Sitting down beside her he gently put his arms around her stomach, kissing the base of her neck tenderly. "Why aren't you in bed?" he asked softly.

She glanced at him over her shoulder and brought her hands down to join his. "Couldn't sleep, needed to think," she replied, "there's a lot going on in my head." Lowering her gaze Hermione bit her lip.

"You can tell me, 'Mione," he whispered, warm breath grazing the tender skin of her neck. He brushed his hands up her stomach slowly. "Whatever it is, you can tell me," he added.

"OK," Hermione said slightly breathy, and turned around completely to face him so she could look him in the eyes. "Now, don't freak." She nodded sharply at him.

"What would I possibly freak about?" he paused. "Oh God, you're not having an affair with Harry are you? Please say you're not... because that would make me freak, seriously it would. I mean to think about you and my best friend..." he trailed off and shuddered.

"Ron, this is nothing to do with Harry," she told him.

"Thank God!"

"This is about us, and how I can't have children." Hermione looked at him expectantly for some sort of reaction; he only nodded, so she continued. "I want to go to St Mungo's again, ask if there's anything they can do or not... like you said, a spell. I want children, Ron, and I want them with you. I'll do whatever it takes."

Ron nodded again reaching his hand up to brush a strand of her hair from her eyes, he let his hand linger and she leant into his touch a little as he spoke. "Then we'll do that... whatever you want." He smiled. "I love you," he added.

Smiling Hermione kissed his lips gently, whispering, "I love you too," before falling into another tender kiss.

Ron broke away a few moments later, looking deeply into her eyes. "Everything will turn out OK, I promise you that now."

"And I believe you, I know it will, we're together," she answered him.

"Together forever," Ron corrected.

"Yeah... forever," she whispered, tracing her fingertips across his lips, before quickly blurting, "Ron, I need to have sex... now!"