I'll Fight For You - Fred/Hermione

Chapter Thirty

It was the sound of retching that woke Fred up. He didn’t wake up gently either. His eyes opened, the sun hit him hard causing him to be blind for a few seconds and his hand hit the lamp beside it, knocking it to the floor. Fred didn’t notice as his eyes were trained on the closed bathroom door. Hermione vomited in the bathroom quite loudly. Fred sat up, holding his head in his hands, he hated waking up to this. He hated that Hermione had to go through with this. He also hated how Hermione wouldn’t let him come into the bathroom while she was vomiting – he wanted to help her. The sound of puking died down as Fred laid his head back. He heard her brush her teeth – she would brush twice to get rid of the taste, gargle and then spit. Hermione sighed loud enough for Fred to hear.

‘I hate this,’ Fred said when Hermione came out of the bathroom. She sighed and sat next to him, her hair was tied up onto her head in a messy bun which she must have done before puking. Fred turned to her and she raised her eyebrows, ‘I really hate this, Mia.’

‘It’s no picnic for me either, Fred,’ Hermione stated angrily, getting to her feet. The frown on her face grew into an angry grimace, ‘I did not ask for this!’

‘I know you didn’t,’ muttered Fred, watching her cautiously. A small smile crept onto his face as he watched her get angrier.

She mumbled under her breath as she moved around the room. Hermione wrenched the cupboard door open so hard that it hit the wall and rebounded. She pulled out a yellow top, inspected it and then shoved it back into the cupboard angrily. Fred watched her, amused, as she grabbed a towel, black tank top and some jeans. He saw the small bag inside the cupboard. It hadn’t been opened yet but he knew it was Hermione’s. Fred looked at her when she turned around.

‘What are you smiling about?’ asked Hermione, her voice on a dangerous edge. Her hand found the cupboard door and it swung shut behind her. Fred shrugged, trying to keep the smile off his face as Hermione glared at him through sceptical eyes, ‘I really don’t see how amusing this is!’

‘It’s very amusing, love,’ Fred muttered. He barked a laugh even though he tried to hold it in. Hermione waited for him to explain what was so funny. Fred got up, the smile plastered on his face, and went to Hermione. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes, ‘you are beautiful.’

‘I don’t feel beautiful at the moment,’ Hermione whispered, blushing slightly as Fred chuckled, ‘I’m pregnant and vomiting and craving apples, for some strange reason, and I feel like my feet are swelling a little. I’m not beautiful and... I’m getting fatter.’

‘Oh, Mia, that’s going to happen, you know that. You’re going to get bigger but you aren’t that big just yet,’ Fred whispered. His hands soothed the slight bulge of her stomach. He laughed, the sound so clear that it made Hermione’s frown drop out of sight, ‘you are so beautiful and... I love you no matter what.’

‘I love you too, Fred,’ Hermione whispered, her forehead leaning against him. They both looked down to Fred’s hands around the bump. Both feeling the exact same thing; a mixture of happiness and a dash of fear of the future.

About an hour later, Hermione and Fred sat at the small kitchen table with breakfast in front of them. A plate of stacked up toast, some fried eggs, and pancakes. Fred drank his coffee while Hermione drank orange juice. It seemed calm enough – eating comfortably but silently – but it could be described as the calm before the storm. Hermione, feeling nervousness pump through her, sipped at her orange juice. She licked her lips cautiously and looked over to Fred. He was reading the newspaper, totally immersed into it. Hermione glanced at the front page and saw the date – September the tenth – and was shocked to see the Malfoy family closing the doors on journalists in the picture. She spotted the familiar boy – he’s a man now, Hermione thought, the image of the boys pointed face still visible in her mind but now he had obviously grown. Draco Malfoy stood next to a blonde girl and his mother shunning everyone out of their house. Hermione looked away, this was not important right now, she had to stop wasting time.