Never Give Up

Chapter Five

The doorbell chimed around the house making Hermione, who was reading a book and lounging in bed, stop for a second. She sighed as she tried to stand up with some difficulty. Her stomach seemed to weigh more than her now, she thought with a chuckle and gave it an appreciative rub. She placed her book down onto the bed and then slowly, supporting her stomach and back at the same time, climbed down the stairs. Her feet were swollen to the size  of balloons, as well as her hands. The perks of pregnancy, she thought unhappily. Hermione wondered who it could be at the door since she wasn’t really expecting anyone and Fred flitted through her mind but she knew, deep down, that it wasn’t Fred. He hadn’t talked to her in weeks and now it was a new year. They were making their way through the second week of January and Hermione was now eight months pregnant... a scary thought that daunted her and made her actually think of how her pregnancy was going to be.

‘Harry?’ Hermione grinned as she unlocked the door and opened it to reveal her best friend. He smiled beautifully and she eyes the box in his hands before pulling him in for an awkward side hug, ‘what... what are you doing here?’

‘Wow, you’ve gotten huge!’ stated Harry, earning a slap on the arm from Hermione but she laughed along with him, ‘I wanted to see you... I missed you.’

Harry was standing on her doorstep with a box full of tasty pizza which Hermione glanced at, her eyes glowing and she realised that she was really hungry. She couldn't remember the last time she wasn’t hungry! Harry came into the house and Hermione glanced outside as cold air blew into the house. The night was silent and the snow was starting to clear up and out of the streets much to Hermione’s disappointment. Although it was still, unsurprisingly, freezing outside. The scarves and gloves were not being packed away just yet. Hermione closed the door and locked it before she turned around to see Harry. Harry was wearing the clothes he usually wore for work but his tie hung loose around his neck, his shirt was unbuttoned from the top and he let his shirt out of his trousers. His green eyes were sparkling with happiness.

‘You could use some company, right?’ asked Harry with a little hope illuminating his voice. He obviously hoped he could spend some time with Hermione so she nodded enthusiastically, happy to have him over. Truth be told, she missed Harry a lot too especially since Ron had been acting a little weird after Christmas. Ron had loosened up a little now and wasn’t as hostile. Harry continued , ‘don’t make me go home to Ginny. She’s freaking out about the wedding and if I stay with her every night, I’ll end up cancelling my own wedding!’

Hermione knew he meant it as a joke but a part of her suspected that there was a bit of the truth lurking in the joke. She laughed alongside him and a part of her brain wondered where Ron was. He should have been home an hour ago but he hadn’t showed up, maybe he had decided to work late. Harry went into the living room and started to get settled down by turning the television on, lighting a fire in the fireplace and opening the pizza box. Hermione was sure she could smell the aroma as she went into the kitchen and grabbed two plates, two glasses and a jug of juice. She walked back into the living room and was glad as she was met by sudden warmth, feeling her back start to dully ache again.

‘Ron should be home soon,’ Hermione mused as she sat next to Harry on the sofa. He shrugged his shoulders a little but then that same smile came on his face and he handed Hermione pizza on a plate. She took it thankfully and took a bite, nearly moaning at the taste, ‘thank you. I’m starving.’

‘You are eating, aren’t you? And drinking lots of water, right?’ he asked, a little worried and Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded, reassuring him. Every time Harry came over, he would lecture her about her diet and her child. Harry glanced down at her stomach and a crease appeared on his forehead, ‘you’re getting big. Are you afraid... for when you go into labour?’