A/N: I know... I know, I'm sorry this took so long... but I like it... : )

Chapter Thirty-Two

Just DEAL With It

"Wha—Ah...excuse me?" I said completely taken aback.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated.

"Okay, you'll have to say that one more time," I said still shocked. I don't know why but this information just would not register.

"I have a bun in the over, I'm up the duff, pregnant... KNOCKED UP!!" She shouted the last part and then snapped a hand over her mouth. "I hope he didn't hear me."

"I doubt it."

I probably should have felt bad for her but I didn't...I was quite happy once it registered.

"Draco," Hermione said seriously. "This isn't supposed to happen to me. I mean I never thought I'd have children. I wanted to do something with my life."

"Just because you're having a child doesn't mean you can't have a life, right? And it was bound to happen sooner or later... I mean, Ron is a Weasley," I pointed out. For once, I was the voice of reason. She glared at me, hell that girl could do Snape proud at times. "Sorry...Do you want it? You know, you can get rid of it... if you wanted to."

"Don't even suggest it," she cringed. "It sickens me the lengths some people will go just to rid themselves of responsibility."

Hermione was right. It is sickening that people will kill another human being, just to get rid of responsibility, as Hermione put it. If they had sex, and get pregnant, it isn't the child's fault that it happened. Why should they pay for another's folly?

"I would never get rid of it but I wanted to go abroad and study like I had planned on doing before I was accepted into Hogwarts," she said as she crossed the room to her wardrobe. I was amazed at how much she had thought ahead and how young she was when she did so.

"Well, you can still do that... wait until the little one is old enough to remember and go through Europe or Asia or America or where ever—What are you doing?!" I demanded as I sat down on her bed.

"Sorry, I've got a real craving for smarties," she said as she held up a huge plastic bag that looked as if it had multi-coloured buttons in it.

"Smarties?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Muggle thing," she said dismissively as she upended the bag onto the bed. "They're really good—" she put some into her mouth "—Here have some."

"Is that not a bit unhygienic considering what you and Ron have done on this bed?" I said slightly repulsed at the thought.

"Oh stop!" She giggled. "The linens have been changed twice since I last let him come near me."

"Right," I drawled.

"God! I haven't heard you talk like that in a while," she said in a reminiscent voice.

"Yes, well, I find I don't need it so much with Gryffindors," I smirked.

Smarties were actually quite delicious. The blue ones were my favourite. I was beginning to change my mind about most muggle things, especially the food.

"When do you plan on telling Ron?" I asked after a moment of eating.

"I don't know..." She trailed off. "I'm afraid to. What if he hates me?"

"Hermione," I said seriously. "He won't hate you."

"I hope not. Do you think he'd blame me?" She whispered. She looked terrified, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Last time I checked it took two people to make a baby," I said matter-of-factly. She giggled as she put what was left of her smarties back into the bag.

"But he's so stupid...sometimes," she replied.

"Don't I know it." We both laughed and then fell into silence.

"I must admit, Draco, that I was glad when I heard that you were pregnant," she said with a slight blush and looked down at her hands. "I'm glad that I won't have to go it alone."

"So am I," I said quietly and she looked up. I smiled and then she did too.

That was our first real major bonding. It is amusing, really. I never thought the two of us could be friends; she was very annoying when we were younger. She was too bookish for me (don't get me wrong, I value knowledge, but one has to draw the line somewhere) but now, being in the same situation, I began to see her as more than that.

"DRACO!!! ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" The guys were banging on the door. Happy with our newly formed friendship, I climbed off the bed and opened the door.

"Would you kindly fuck off?" I said annoyed. Ron was standing at the door and Harry was behind him.

"But, sugar, wouldn't that make you jealous?" Harry said as he wrapped his arms around Ron's waist from behind.

A look of pure horror crossed Ron's face and he began to struggle. "Wha—AH! Listen, Harry, I love you and all but—"

"Come along, darling." With great effort, Harry heaved Ron off of his feet and carried him down the hall to the stairs. I heard Harry say, very matter-of-factly: "Ron, stop squirming or I'll drop you!"

I shook my head amused and somewhat relieved. It looked as if Harry had forgiven Ron, even just a little bit.

"Thanks," Hermione said as she lied down on the far side of the bed. She put an arm behind her head.

"No problem," I smiled as I lied down on my back next to her.

It was only about 8 o'clock in the evening and already I was burnt out. I supposed pregnancy did that to you, up until that point, I usually could stay awaked into all hours of the morning. Funny how things change... without you even realizing it.

"You know, girl, I hate to keep bringing this up, but when do you plan on telling Ron?" I asked while fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

"Well, soon... I mean... When did you do it?" She asked turning on her side to look at me.

"I told him roughly three seconds after I found out."

"How did you do it?"

"I...ah... I attempted to beat the crap out of him." I grinned.

"What! Are you serious?" She burst out laughing.

"Yes!" I began to laugh as well.

"I just don't know what to say... Do I just go 'Hey Ron, guess what? I'm pregnant and you are going to be a daddy!'"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Wha—Why not? Because, as you know, he's prone to overreactions! This has to be handled delicately and—"

"And in other words, you want someone else to do it," I interrupted. She turned red.

Hermione really did seem like she didn't want to tell Ron about the baby. She wanted him to know, yes but she did not want to be the one to drop the bomb.

"I don't know. I think I should be the one to tell him but I have no desire whatsoever to do that," she replied as she flopped onto her back again.

"I can do it," I offered, half joking.

"Really?" She perked up at the thought.

"Oh, well... yeah," I replied. I wasn't expecting her to except the offer... at least not so readily. I mean she was a Gryffindor.

"Oh, Draco! Thank you so much!" She was grinning from ear to ear. Actually, she looked as if the cares of the world had just fallen off of her shoulders.

I smiled contentedly as I studied the canopy. Scarlet velvet with gold thread embroidery, typically Gryffindor. The candles she had lit made the thread sparkle and it was mesmerizing.

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Sunlight was just beginning to creep across the floor when I woke. Hermione's arm was draped across my chest and she was still sound asleep. In any case, I wanted to get up. So I slid sideways, trying hard not to wake her, and rolled onto the floor.

Luckily, I landed, quite soundlessly, on my hands and knees. The floor creaked a bit as I made my way to the door and Hermione turned over in the bed. I went back and put the throw, that was on the chair in the corner, over her.

The door screeched as I opened it and was much louder when I closed it. Funny, but I didn't remember it making that kind of noise the previous night.

In the corridor, Harry and Ron were asleep. They were sleeping upright with their backs against the wall, one on each side of the door. Harry had his knees drawn up to his chest and his head rested on his knees. Ron was all sprawled out, hit mouth hanging open slightly. I stepped over Ron's leg and silently crept downstairs.

Seamus and Justin Finch-Fletchy were, one on top of the other on a sofa near the fire, asleep. I tried to get by them without disturbing them but I think Seamus was already awake.

"Fancy seeing you here," He said with a voice that was little more than a sleepy grumble. I smiled and kept walking. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going to get those three some breakfast," I replied quietly, with a vague sweep of my hand toward the dorms.

"Hang on, I'll come with you," he said as he ran a hand through Justin's light brown hair. "Babe, come on, you gotta let me up."

"Mmm..." Justin grumbled quite groggily and spoke into Seamus's chest. "Don't go. You're warm."

"Hun, I'm gonna go get us some breakfast," Seamus said as Justin sleepily supported himself on his arms. Seamus rolled onto the floor.

"You okay?" Justin asked as he collapsed back onto the sofa.

"Yeah, I won't be long," Seamus told him. Then he kissed his hair. "Ready?"

"Yup," I said and we made our way out into the corridor.

"So, what are you doing up so early?" He asked conversationally.

"Well, I fell asleep quite early last night—"

"Where? You and Harry haven't lived in Gryff Tower since... before Christmas."

"In Hermione's room," I replied. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning at, I'm sure, some dirty thought. "No!" I said quickly. "Not like that. She and Ron are... fighting and I was keeping her company!"

"Company, eh?" He said insinuating, well you know what he was insinuating.

"Oh, shut up!" Mood swing. "Honestly, she's my friend! AND I do not like girls that way!"

"Whoa, calm down," he said, holding up his hands. I glared at him. "So, where was Harry during this?"

"He was out in the hall," I replied.

"Really?" He laughed. "And this didn't bother him?"

"No," I said firmly, removing all doubt that it wasn't a purely platonic relationship.

Seamus shook his head amusedly.

"You know," Seamus said breaking the silence. "I was gonna make a move on you but Harry beat me to you."

I laughed. "That's sweet."

All of the sudden, Seamus grabbed me. He wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed me quite thoroughly. I think the only reason he let go of me was due to lack of air.

"If the whole Harry thing falls through, you know where to go," he grinned playfully. I wondered if it bugged him, that he just kissed his friends boyfriend, not to mention he had a boyfriend. I guess it was all fair game to him.

"Oh, if you only knew," I muttered under my breath.

"I'm sorry?"

"Umm, what about Justin?" I asked as we pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. A few were in there, scattered intermittently across the tables. The rest, I supposed, were sleeping in. It was a Saturday morning after all, and the sun had yet to completely rise.

"He'd be happy to have two boyfriends," he winked and sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," I smiled as I sat down too.

I felt a little guilty for that kiss. I mean, Slutty Magee did the same thing to Harry and I was still making him pay (despite it not being his fault). I couldn't really look him in the eye for a couple of days because of it. I felt like a complete hypocrite, and I was. Oh well, he will find out when he reads this, won't he?

"Okay, two questions. Number one: What are we getting? And number two: How are we transporting it from here to Gryff Tower?" Seamus asked as he munched on a piece of toast.

"Umm...Well, what does Justin like? Harry, Ron and Hermione usually just eat toast and eggs," I replied peeling an orange.

"Justin likes porridge with aloe of marmalade in it—" I scrunched my nose and he laughed. "Yes, my baby does have cravings like a pregnant woman."

"I resent that." I snapped.

"What? Why?" He asked confused.

"No reason," I said quickly.

We decided that it would be easiest if we carried the toast, eggs and porridge and levitated the condiments, fruit and utensils behind us. The Fat Lady gave us a lecture about the consequences of spilling food in the common room before she let us through. The common room was still empty; it was only about eight in the morning... Except, of course, for Justin, who was still asleep on the couch. We stepped carefully over Harry and Ron and went into Hermione's room. She was awake and reading on her bed.

"What are you two doing?" She asked as she shut her book and climbed off her bed.

"Breakfast," I smiled and set the plate of toast onto her desk.

"I can see that," she smiled amusedly.

Hermione helped me clear off the rest of her desk and we pushed it into the middle of the room. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a good idea, I later found out that pregnant people aren't supposed to be lifting heavy objects. Seamus put six chairs around it (don't ask me where they came from because I do not know) and then left to get Justin.

Hermione and I went and woke Harry and Ron. Harry hugged me. He looked happy to see me in one piece. Ron, however, couldn't have cared less about me. He looked so ecstatic to see Hermione with a smiled on her face. He seemed even more happy, if that we possible, when she kissed him 'good morning'.

"Sleep well?" She asked him simply.

"Very," he smiled. I took that to be some sort of unspoken truce between the two of them.

The six of us ate breakfast, all the while talking about nothing in particular. By the time we finished, the sun had completely filled the room with light.

"Well, we have to go," Seamus said as he put Justin's empty porridge bowl on his plate. "We'll help take this back before we leave, though."

"Alright, Ron and I will help too," Harry said as he took my plate and put it beneath his. Ron did the same for Hermione's plate. Then the four of them picked up the remaining dishes and things and left. I wondered if Ron felt weird being the only straight guy that morning. It was funny, when certain things came up in the conversation, to see him get embarrassed... the poor guy.

We stacked the chairs magically and put them outside.

"When do you want him to find out?" I asked a moment later.

"When he gets back?" She offered as we pushed the desk back against the wall. I thought about it for a minute.

"Okay, but we do this my way," I said firmly.

"Deal...wait, you can't just go 'Ron, Hermione's knocked up!' Okay?" She said worriedly.

"Oh, come on!! Give me a little credit!" She just rolled her eyes.

"So, I need the desk back where it was—" She sighed exasperatedly at the declaration. "—Hey, you agreed to do this my way." We pulled the desk back. "And we'll need four chairs." Chairs were magic-ed into place. "Do you have any loose papers?" She handed me a stack of blank paper. "Excellent." I wrote on the top paper:

I, Ronald Weasley, hear by declare that I will not throw things, yell or even raise my voice upon hearing the news that the love of my life, Hermione Granger, has to tell me.

X

"Oh my god," she laughed over my shoulder. I looked up. "That's fantastic!"

"And he has to sign it!" I said with a grin. "Now, I'm your lawyer. Harry can be Ron's." I sat down. "Okay, now, you have to sit beside me and they'll sit across from us. Try to look as serious as possible."

She giggled and sat down beside me. The two of us faced the door. We didn't have to wait long for Harry and Ron to return and when they did, they both stopped in the doorway. I looked up from my stack of 'legal documents'.

"Ah, gentlemen, there you are," I said in friendly formality. I gestured to the chairs. "Won't you sit?"

Harry and Ron cautiously stepped into the room. Harry sat in the chair directly opposite of me, sending me a quizzical look. Ron sat on the stool opposite Hermione.

"What's going on?" Harry asked guardedly.

"We have something we would like to tell you," I stated simply, folding my hands onto of my papers.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Shoot."

"Before we 'shoot', Mr Potter, your client must sign this agreement," I said handing over the paper.

"My client?" He said as he looked over the contract and then handed it to Ron. "Something tells me the news may not be to your liking."

"This is stupid," Ron grumbled once he read the statement, but signed it all the same.

"Probably, but also necessary," I said in response to his grumblings. "Now, that taken care of, Mr Weasley, we may proceed with the news." I placed the signed statement on top of my papers and straightened them all. I cleared my throat and said, "My client, Hermione Granger, is carrying your client, Ron Weasley's child."

"What?" Harry asked. Ron was staring at Hermione, his expression unreadable.

"She's pregnant," I said a little bluntly.

"Oh, well... that's nice," Ron squeaked before he keeled over backwards in a dead faint.

"RON!" Hermione shrieked as she rushed to his side.

"Of all the reactions he could have had, I don't think any of us expected that one," I stated simply, looking at Ron's limp form. Harry stifled a laugh, lest he offend Hermione.

"Come on Ron, wake up," she said as she tapped his cheek. Then, after tapping didn't work, she hit him, once, hard and his eyes fluttered open. She leaned down and hugged him.

"Hermione," he said over her shoulder. "I had the strangest dream... Draco called me Mr Weasley and said you were pregnant."

"Ron, I did just tell you she was pregnant."

"Oh," he said in a small voice and was gone once more. I really did not think that the news would affect him that much. I honestly thought he would yell, despite what he signed. I chalked the fainting up to his pent up freak out and to fear but that didn't stop me from getting the smallest bit... annoyed.

"Oh, honestly!" I snapped getting up and going to stand next to Hermione. "May I?" She nodded and went and stood next to Harry. I straddled Ron and started shaking his shoulders, albeit a little violently. "Ronald Weasley! You wake up this instant!" His eyes fluttered open once more. "Now, here's the deal. Hermione is pregnant and you're going to be a dad! So, don't faint again because that helps no one! Life happens... just....DEAL!"

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A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing. I apologize for taking so long to get this up its been hectic around here... Even though I was hoping to get through his pregnancy this summer... Oh well, life happens hehehe... Okay, a couple things here...

I've started the companion to this, if anyone is interested. Its only 2 chapters so far but its coming along... I posted it a while ago... I don't know if you've read it or what... Personally, I like it... its... conversational. Its called "From Enemy to Fate"... g

I know I keep bugging... but does anyone... anyone at all wanna draw me something? Well, its just a thought... I may have to draw my own and trust me, you do not want that to happen shudder...

Well, I think that's it... Oh, sorry that not much happens in this chap... but it is kinda vital, I will try with all my... might to get you at least one more chapter before September! Thanks again! Luv, Gia