Sometimes It Be That Way

Interlude

Speeding into the horizon
Dreaming of the sirens
Wishing for broken glass on a highway
It could be so easy

She was crying. Positively bawling. She had never been so horrified in all her life. The looks that she had seen...

She should have known that this would happen. She had been so happy for a moment that she should have known that this would happen eventually. That her world would come crashing down... again... in one simple moment.

Outside, the gentle falling of snow had turned to a drowning rain. The windows beside her fogged as she leaned close to it, as if trying to push herself farther away. If only she could melt through the glass and fly away to a dream world, then none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be here crying because she was pregnant. She wouldn't be "dating" Draco Malfoy, ex-future Mr. Evil Man. She wouldn't be at odds with Hermione and Harry. She wouldn't have seen the horror on their faces when...

She leaned her head against the cold glass. If only it could give way. Her eyes stung and she couldn't breathe out of her nose. The glamour to hide the pregnancy was undone and her legs were straight, her already huge belly projecting outwards. She sniffed and laid a hand on her stomach. There was no answer.

The Astronomy Tower was empty and silent. She was completely alone. And she had never been so terrified in her life.

The rhythm, rhythm of an engine
Always makes me empty
See the headlights coming at me
Can't help but wonder

A wave of whispers swept across the Great Hall. Hermione looked up at the whispers, frowning. When nothing immediate happened, she went back to her book. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. A very well written Muggle book with beautiful language. She could fall into this language, it was so beautiful. But then she heard the flurry of whispers again. She looked up and narrowed her eyes.

A large group of Slytherins were knotted around the Slytherin table in one area in particular. Some were laughing, their laughs high and menacing. The other tables were looking at the Slytherin table worriedly. And then one of the Slytherins broke the circle, running to a person in another table. Through the gap in the crowd Hermione could see Pansy, her eyes dancing. Something was happening. Something bad.

The Slytherin that had broken free whispered something to one of the Ravenclaws, who gasped and turned to the person sitting beside her. Within a second, whatever had been spoken was being passed to the Hufflepuff table. Hermione narrowed her eyes. Then a Hufflepuff ran to the Gryffindors and whispered something into someone else's ear. That someone suddenly laughed out loud and turned to look down the table. Looking down the table at where Ginny was.

"What the hell is happening?" Harry asked, his voice low. He looked a little trapped and fatalistic. Which led Hermione to think of one thing...

"Oh no," Hermione gasped.

"What?" Ron asked. He didn't seem to be paying any attention, his eyes on the magazine in front of him.

"Ginny..." Hermione left the sentence off to hang, figuring Ron would get the picture.

But Ron only asked, "What about Ginny?"

"Ron, you idiot, they know," Harry hissed.

Ron looked up, surprised. "How?"

A person leaned into Ginny, sneering something. Hermione was far away, but she could see the glittering in Ginny's eyes. Ginny jumped up from the table and ran for the door, amidst laughing from the other students.

"Don't care," Hermione said, jumping out of her spot at the table. She gathered her books and began running for the door.

"Hermione, where you going?"

"Stay there!" she yelled back, not even bothering to see if the boys had heard her. She had to do this alone.

Flying, flying in slow motion
The wind through my hair
And ripping through the scenery
Of the wreckage
It is my secret need

She had no idea where Ginny was. She had no idea how she would find her. She only knew that she had to find her. Somewhere in this castle was a girl breaking down, and no matter how far she and Ginny had been for the past few months, she had to find her. Up a flight of stairs, down a long corridor, past the teacher's lounge, through a tapestry and up another flight of stairs. She could hear rain hitting windows like drums being beaten. She had to find her.

She had no idea how long it took. She heard a tiny muffled sound that could have been crying and made her way towards it. She ended up in the Astrology Tower on the uppermost floor. The door opened soundlessly at her hands and she spotted Ginny leaning against a window, sobbing softly. The glamour had disappeared and Hermione could finally see how pregnant Ginny was.

Without meaning to, she said, "Wow."

Ginny jumped. She whipped around, at least as much as she could while being pregnant, and looked at Hermione. "What?" she asked softly. Her voice sounded a little wary.

She opened and closed her mouth, trying to make her words soft. "I didn't realize how pregnant you were," Hermione finally said. She closed her mouth to keep from gawking like a silly schoolgirl.

"Eight months and counting," Ginny said, turning back around to get back into a comfortable position. Hermione walked over to where Ginny was sitting and sat down on the floor beside her. She gave her a soft smile. Ginny looked out the window, sniffing, not returning the smile. Hermione frowned, looking down at her shoes. She sighed.

"I was worried about you, Ginny," Hermione said.

"I'm fine," Ginny said curtly. From her tone, Hermione could hear the wariness like a knife.

"I didn't mean now," Hermione said. Ginny looked at her curiously. "I meant before Christmas. I didn't mean to gang up on you like that. I was just worried for you and for the baby. You had disappeared for so long and hadn't been talking to us, so I thought that maybe something bad had happened. And I guess I overreacted." She looked up at Ginny, searching her face for any emotion. There was nothing. "I'm sorry."

Ginny started crying again. In between sobs, she said, "I'm sorry too. I had wanted to approach you guys so many times, I just didn't know how to do it. I felt so alone."

Hermione went to her knees and hugged Ginny close to her. She continued to sob into Hermione's shoulder, and Hermione rubbed her back, making soothing noises. "It's okay," she whispered. "Everything's going to be fine." She pulled back and wiped Ginny's eyes. "Everything is going to be fine. This baby will be the most beautiful baby in the world. And she will be so loved."

Ginny continued to sob uncontrollably and Hermione pulled her back into the hug, rocking her back and forth, making soothing noises, rubbing her back.

Ginny suddenly spluttered, doubling forward. Hermione let go and pulled back fast, looking to see what was wrong. Ginny was holding her side tightly.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Ginny grimaced and doubled forward again, still holding her side. "I don't know..." Ginny panted, scrunching her nose up in pain. She moaned painfully. She suddenly grabbed Hermione's arm. "Hermione... this could be..."

"Oh no," Hermione whispered. "We gotta get you to the Hospital Wing."