With you in my Arms

6. "I am a prat?"

Hermione found Harry in the kitchen when she came home. He was reading the Daily Prophet. Kreacher was busy preparing diner for them.

"You have read what that gargoyle has written this time?" She asked without introduction.

"Hm-hm."

"Do Ginny, Ron and Parvati know as well?"

"Hm-hm."

She sat next to him.

"Are you okay?"

""Hm-hm."

"Harry! If you say hm-hm one more time..." She threatened.

He looked up.

"I have spoken with Ginny and Parvati this morning at work. Neville showed me the latest scoop of Rita Skeeter."

"I'll report her to the ministry this time!"

"Oh, yeah, I meant to ask you, how did she do it the last time?"

"She is an unregistered animagus!"

"Right."

"So what have you decided to do?"

"Parvati is going to tell her, that I am going to give her an interview. It's going to be in the Ministry. Once she is there she'll find herself being questioned by the aurors."

Hermione stared at him.

"Isn't that a bit over the top?"

"What? Oh, of course you don't know yet. Ron's gone AWOL. Nobody has seen him since he flooed back to the Burrow with Ginny last night."

"Oh?"

"We have the suspicion, that somebody has him either under the Imperius Curse or used Polyjuice potion to impersonate him. Parvati has been telling us some stuff that points towards either of these possibilities."

"Why would anybody do that?" She hesitated. "I take that back. That Skeeter woman would do anything to get information on us."

"Exactly."

Kreacher served diner and as they ate Harry filled Hermione in about what they had discussed earlier. There was a length of silence afterwards with both mulling over their own thoughts.

"I have been asked to work on the night watch with the trauma squad today."

"Trauma squad? What do they do?"

"The take care of long term patiences, that have been through emotional turmoil and are considered a danger to themselves. Like the witches and wizards trying to end their lives, because they lost their families during the war."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I am going to just watch them sleep. Nothing more. I can do my studies while I do that. It just means that my daily routine is going to shift. When you go to work, I'll come home. We'll see each other in the afternoons, when you come home."

He looked at her.

"Are you sure, that is a good idea? I mean with you being..."

"Harry, I'm pregnant not an invalid. You better start learning that now, before Ginny is catching up."

She grinned at the shocked face of her friend. She hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Ginny is gonna want to wait for a while. When are her trials with the Holyhead Harpies?"

"The day after tomorrow. She is really exited."

"I'm not surprised."

"So you are going to watch suicidal folk sleep. What if one is waking up?"