Umbridge
The next day, the two teens woke up and Dobby had brought them breakfast already. He had put a spell on it to keep it warm in case it got cold. It was a grand feast, filled with eggs, sausages, bacon, fruit, toast, and baked beans. Hermione had to rush to the bathroom to throw up once she smelled the eggs. Harry had to get rid of it, so he ate real fast. When he was done, he went into the bathroom to hold her hair up for her.
When she was done, they went back to their breakfast and ate, although Harry didn't have much of an appetite left after what he just saw. So he let her finish eating whatever was left and watched her eat with a smile.
She noticed his grin, though. "What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing." 'Just thinking about how beautiful you are,' he thought in his mind. He heard a tapping on the window to his left. He looked and saw Hedwig flying there, wanting to come in. He stood and went to open the door, he noticed a letter in her claw. He took it and saw that it was addressed to Hermione. He gave it to her. "Here, it's addressed to you." She took it and left to bring Hedwig to his room. She flew to her perch and she fell asleep. Harry walked back down the stairs to see the letter opened. "Who is it from?" he asked.
"Professor McGonagall. She set an appointment up for me with Madame Pomfrey at noon," she replied finishing her last bite of sausage.
"Do you think I'll actually be let into the Hospital Wing this time?" he asked her.
Hermione just shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I can understand why they won't let you in. We're not together and she figures you would be uncomfortable with seeing...you know."
Harry chuckled half-heartedly. "But I've already seen your-" He stopped short when he realized what he was about to say. They both blushed.
"Er, I'm going shower," he said nervously. "Yeah." He walked away embarrassed, not seeing Hermione's smile and not hearing her small giggle.
They both took a shower and then went to work on fixing up the nursury for the unborn baby Arabella. They changed only a few things, which included putting a soft, pink rug on the stone floor; putting in a few pictures they had brought with them in their trunks. One was of Charlotte and Jacob Granger, one was of Harry's late parents that Sirius had given him. Two were individual pictures of the two of them, and one final picture of them together.
They saw that they couldn't do much else. Although Hermione did look at the bookcase that held only about four books and said, "I'm going to need to go to Hogsmeade soon and get a few children's books. We might need to do that soon, Harry. Go to Hogsmeade, or we can do some baby shopping during the Christmas hols."
"I think the Christmas hols would be better, we can Floo the things in and won't have to worry about lugging them in from Hogsmeade," he said with a smile. They checked the time and saw that it was a quarter until noon.
"Come on, let's get to the Hospital Wing." They made their way to the Hospital Wing, seeing many people as they passed. They paid them no mind, just smiled at them. Hermione was becoming less and less nervous about her bulge. She supposed it was Harry. Harry gave her courage. He stood next to her and held her hand, giving her the support she needed. She couldn't help but wonder if he loved her as much as she loved him. She wanted to tell him, but she was afraid he would reject her. She couldn't live with that.
They arrived at the Hospital Wing. Harry opened the doors and let her in first, following in after her. It was bare. It was the first full day of the term and no one, of course, would've done anything dangerous or gotten hurt. Madame Pomfrey was not in sight.
"Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione called.
"Yes? Coming!" they heard her call from her office. She came walking out and smiled as she saw the two teens. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I assume you're here for the check-up?"
Hermione nodded. "Well, then, Mr. Potter, I'm afraid you're going to have to step outside." Harry looked at Hermione, frowning. She smiled weakly, watching him leave.
*****
Harry closed the doors behind him and sat down on the ground, leaning against the doors. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on hearing them inside. He sighed heavily when he realized he couldn't hear anything, so he decided to take a small nap.
He opened his eyes a few minutes later to a noise. He looked up and saw the one person he most definitely did not want to see.
"Hello, Dumbledore," he said with anger dripping from his tongue.
"Harry, I am your superior. It's Professor Dumbledore to you," he said with a sickly sweet smile.
"I can call you whatever I want to. After what you said about taking Hermione away and killing my child, you deserve it." Harry stood up and faced him. He was a good head shorter than the professor, but he probably had a bigger and warmer heart than he did.
"The child will die anyway at the hands of Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore told him.
Harry almost faltered, but regained his composure. "How do you know this? Did a Seer tell you this? Or is it that you don't believe I can protect Hermione and my child? Because I assure I can!" Harry gazed into his eyes and saw something. A flicker. "You have another reason."
Dumbledore stared at him. "No, I don't."
"You're lying. I can tell," he spat back.
Dumbledore looked at the doors. "Miss Granger is in there right now, isn't she? An appointment with Madame Pomfrey perhaps?"
"No, she's not," Harry said confidently, trying to get him to go away.
"You're lying, Harry. I can tell," he countered back using his own words.
"You stay away from Hermione and you stay away from me! Hermione nor the baby are going anywhere. You can forget it!"
Dumbledore said some final words, "Don't be so sure of yourself." Then, to Harry's relief, he left.
After another fifteen minutes, the door opened and Hermione stood there with a big grin on her face. "Harry, come see!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the Wing. Harry noticed at contraption at one of the beds. It looked like a muggle machine he had seen before somewhere but couldn't remember what it was for. However, since it was a magical machine, it was much more complex. "What? Why are you excited?" he smiled at her enthusiasm.
"Look at this!" she grabbed something off of the bed and shoved it in his hand. "What is it?" He was looking at picture of black and white lines and a lump in the middle. "It looks...like a potato. What is it?" Madame Pomfrey walked passed him at the time he said this and smacked him on the back of the head with a pile of papers in her hand.
"Harry! That's our baby! Look," Hermione pointed to a circle. "that's the head, there's the body, there's a leg, and look! She's sucking on her thumb! Isn't she cute, Harry?!"
Harry then saw it. "Oh! Okay! I see her now! Wow!" Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "She's freaking cute! Do we get to keep this?" he asked Madame Pomfrey.
"Yes, you can keep, show it to your friends, if you want," she said.
"You mean 'friend'," Hermione corrected talking low, refering to Neville.
Harry looked at her and kissed her cheek. "Come on, let's go get some lunch. Maybe we'll see Neville there."
She nodded and they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Many people were in there eating already. They saw Neville seated next to a pretty blonde girl from Ravenclaw. She was sitting next to him, conversing happily with him. Hermione looked at Harry confused. He just shrugged and they made their way over to them.
"Hey, Neville," they said smiling and sitting down across from him.
"Who's your friend?" Hermione asked almost teasingly gesturing to the blonde Ravenclaw, who smiled at them, not even looking at Hermione's stomach. Both Harry and Hermione liked her immediately. Neville blushed nervously.
"Oh, hey, Harry, Hermione, this is Luna Lovegood. She's a Fourth Year Ravenclaw. I just met her in the Herbology greenhouses. She's in the Herbology Club."
"It's nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione extended her hand for her to shake, which she did politely.
"Harry Potter." He shook her hand, as well.
"It's nice to meet you both. Neville, here, saved me from a Giant Venus Flytrap that was trying to bite me and eat me. He pulled me out of the way," she said making Neville blush more.
"Aw, that's sweet of you, Neville," Hermione gushed out.
"Well done, mate!" Harry praised him.
"It was nothing. Professor Sprout said she was going to get it removed as it is now a hazard," he brushed it off.
"Well, that's good," Harry said.
Luna looked at them with a weird expression. "Your auras are very strong. Your magic must be superb."
Harry and Hermione looked confused. They looked at Neville, who just shrugged and smiled, as if saying, 'She's strange, but I like her.' They turned back to her.
"Er, yeah, some people have said that before," Hermione responded.
"I see a third aura, around your stomach, Hermione. It's pink," she said looking at Hermione's middle.
"Yeah, we're having a girl," she rubbed her stomach lovingly and blushing a bit.
"Her aura is very strong. I think it might be stronger than both of you combined. Her magic is going to be over the top," Luna said looking back at them.
"Thanks, I guess," Hermione replied not having anoything else to say.
"How far are you along?"
"Um, about four months. My due date is January twenty-ninth. We went to see Madame Pomfrey today for an appointment. She took an Ultrasound." Hermione took the sonagram out of her pocket and gave it to Luna. Neville leaned over towards her to look as well.
Luna smiled, "Aw, look at her little hand!"
"Is that a potato?" Neville asked confused at what it was.
Harry smiled. "I thought the same, Nev."
"No, Neville, look, it's their baby. See the head?" Luna corrected him.
"Oh, yeah, now I see it," he replied. "Very cute."
Luna gave Hermione back the sonagram and they continued to converse, happily as they ate lunch. They were beginning to fall in love with the Ravenclaw. She had a strangeness and eccentricity, but they could see she was a good person and did not care that Hermione was with child. The only thing she cared for about them was that they were happy and could not wait for the baby to arrive.
"My Mum died when I was nine and I had always wanted a baby sibling, but that could not be," she said sadly.
Neville reached for her hand on the table and held it, making her smile. "I lost my Mum, too, and my Dad. I'm an only child, as well. I've always wanted a baby sibling, too! Or even a baby to just hold, like a neice or nephew!"
"Maybe we can make a baby, Neville!" Luna exclaimed, but not too loud for a lot of people to hear.
Neville blushed really hard. "W-what?!" he choked out.
"I'm just kidding, Neville!" she said rolling her eyes and they all laughed and smiled.
Harry and Hermione could see something between the two. Something that they couldn't. They were in love.
*****
"They are so cute together, aren't they?" Hermione asked as she plopped down on the couch, holding her stomach.
"Yeah," Harry agreed with a smile that didn't exactly reach his eyes. He sat down next to her.
Hermione noticed. "What's wrong, Harry?"
"Um, okay, I'll tell you. While you were in the Hospital Wing getting checked-up, I was sitting outside the door; and guess who came to visit?" he asked her with a sarcastic smile.
"Dumbledore?" she asked him almost knowingly.
He nodded. "Yeah, he wanted to talk to me. I don't know how he knew we were at the Hospital Wing."
"What did he say?" she asked him eagerly.
"He said that our child will die anyway at the hands of Voldemort," he told her grimly.
"What? How does he know this?! Is he like a Seer or something?!" she asked shocked.
Harry shook his head. "He's hiding something. I know it. I just don't know what it is. I told him that neither him nor Voldemort will come near you nor the baby. I did a pretty good job of that with Malfoy."
"Harry, as much as I want to leave here from Dumbledore to protect Arabella from him, I can't because I do know that Hogwarts is the safest place to be right now. Dumbledore hates Voldemort, and he's powerful. He can protect us from him," Hermione said. "But there's just one thing I don't understand."
Harry looked at her. "What's that?"
"Why does he want to kill Arabella or take her away from us?" she asked with a far-off look.
"Well, he did say she was going to die at the hands of Voldemort anyway. I think he means that it would best to put her out of her misery and kill her now before she gets any bigger. But like I've said, I don't believe that's the reason. Or at least the only reason," he explained.
"I don't really want to worry about it right now," she said. "I know I'm sounding like a terrible mother, but I'm stressing out over this a bit; and the pregnancy book told me not stress. It's not good for her or me."
He grabbed her hand. "Exactly, don't stress over it. Let me deal with it. You already have enough on your shoulders. Me? I can deal with one more thing." He gave her a smile and kissed her temple. She leaned against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her upper body. "She's going to be okay," he whispered in her ear.
Hermione nodded and closed her eyes as Harry's warm breath tickled her ear. She slowly moved her hand over Arabella, soothing her and silently telling her that her Daddy and especially Mummy was not going to let anyone hurt her, kill her, or take her away from them.
*****
Monday came soon enough and it was time for classes to start. Professor McGonagall gave them yet another gift. She arranged for them to be in all classes together. They were much grateful for that and Hermione made a mental note to write her a thank-you note to her for everything she has done so far.
Everyone was excited about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. They were all anxious to see what her class was like. Harry and Hermione walked into the classroom with their heads held high and sat down at a two-seater desk on the right side of the class in about the middle of the row. Some people were there and stared at them. They were, of course, Slytherin, and Harry and Hermione didn't expect them to do anything but that.
"Ignore them," he whispered in her ear, making her tingly again.
She looked at him and nodded, smiling more brighter. As the minutes went by, more and more people came in. Neville came and sat down behind them. No one was with him, so he suggested to just sit by himself today.
"Hey, guys," he whispered to them. They turned around and smiled. "Hey, Neville."
"It's a shame Luna isn't a Fifth Year. I would love for her to sit by me," he said smiling dreamily.
"Aw, is someone in love?" Hermione asked him teasing him a bit, but was still proud that he found someone.
"Maybe," he returned going red.
"Is she becoming your 'special someone'?" Harry asked, making sure that "special someone" sounded very seductive. All three of them laughed.
"I think so. She said she wants to go to Hogsmeade with me when we go for the first time this year." He looked incredulous. "Me!" He was shocked that someone would actually like him and want to date him.
"Well, we're happy for you, Neville," Harry said.
"Thanks, guys."
They couldn't talk anymore as the bell rang and Professor Dolores Umbridge walked into the room, announcing silently that class was beginning. "Good morning, class! Welcome to Fifth Year Defense Against the Dark Arts. I will call your name and you will raise your hand and say 'here'." She went through the roster. When she got to Hermione she looked at her stomach sternly and shook her head, clicking her tongue.
Hermione looked at Harry with a look that said, 'Can you believe that?!' Harry shook his head.
When she got to Harry, she said, "I'm guessing you're the father?"
Harry nodded confidently, not afraid to say it. "Yes, I am. But that's none of your concern, is it?"
Umbridge just sneered at him and finished calling out the names. "Alright, this year you are to be taking your Ordinary Wizarding Levels, also known as O.W.L.s. It is my duty to prepare you for that." She waved her wand and the stacks of books that were on her desk were soon floating through the air, being distributed to each student. "Being passed out is your new books for this year. I assure you that I will be following very closely to the book."
Hermione looked through her book. 'Is this a joke?!' She raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"It doesn't say anything about actually using spells in the book," she said.
"No, of course not. The Ministry does not want you to be using the spells. Just to learn about them." Everyone looked confused.
"Well, then, how do they expect us to defend ourselves?!" Hermione asked shocked.
"Miss Granger, I please ask you to raise your hand in my class and I'll call on you," she said with the same sickly sweet tone Dumbledore had.
Hermione raised her hand, just about to be seriously pissed off.
"Yes?"
"How does the Ministry expect us to defend ourselves if we don't know how to defend ourselves?!" she practically yelled at the teacher. Almost everyone gasped. Hermione Granger would never yell at a teacher.
"I will not be talked to in that manner, Miss Granger. Five points from Gryffindor," she said totally avoiding the question. "Hormones," she added under her breath but Harry and Hermione caught it.
Harry raised his hand, coming to Hermione's rescue.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?"
"You didn't answer her question. How are we supposed to defend ourselves?"
"Defend yourselves from what exactly?"
"Voldemort! He's back and in power! We won't know what to do if he comes along and tries to harm us," he tried to reason with her.
She turned to look at the class. "What Mr. Potter has just said is a lie. The Dark Lord is not back in power. The Ministry has assured everyone that they are quite safe."
"I saw him! I fought him! He tried to kill me again!" he was close to shouting as well.
"Lies! Lies! Lies!" she called back to him.
"But-" he tried to interject, but she cut him off.
"Mr. Potter, I'd please advise you to hold your tongue or you will be sent from my class for telling lies and keeping me from teaching my class," she threatened.
Harry stood up and packed his bag. "What class? In classes, you actually learn something." Hermione saw what he was doing and copied him, packing up as well.
"Where do you think you're going, Miss Granger?" she asked as everyone watched the pregnant teen stood up.
"Where he goes, I go," were her last words before she followed Harry out the classroom.
"Can you believe her?!" Hermione shrieked as they walked through the empty corridor to their dorm. Harry shook with anger. "Voldemort is back! Where does she think those wounds you had last year came from?! Your scar was bleeding!" Her hormones were out of control.
"I know. How are we supposed to defend ourselves, Hermione?"
"I don't know," Hermione said cooling off a bit, thinking of a plan. "I really don't know." She decided to change the subject. "What's our next class?"
Harry took out his timetable and groaned. "Potions."
Hermione groaned as well. "Just lovely," she said sarcastically. "So, now that we no longer take DADA, what do we do?"
He smiled at her. "I guess we can go back to our dorm and wait for Potions to come."
She smiled and together they walked to their dorm.
*****
Potions finally came and they sat down together at a table. Severus Snape walked into the classroom as the bell rang. He, like Umbridge, handed out classbooks for them to use. "Here are your new books, don't ruin them. I will not tolerate a ripped book." He set his gaze on Harry and Hermione, who were laughing at a picture of a tap-dancing frog in their textbook. Harry looked at Hermione and smiled, wanting nothing more than to kiss her.
"Mr. Potter, I'd recommend you to please keep it in your pants. Who knows who's going to wind up pregnant next," he sneered.
Harry glared at him, hating the man even more. He replied cheekily, "I'll try to control myself."
Snape gave him one last look before he started teaching.
*****
After classes, they went back to their dorm to get started on their homework. "Can you believe they assigned homework on the first day back?!" Harry cried.
"We're getting older. They're giving us more responsibilities." She walked over to the window to gaze out of it as the clouds darkened. She noticed the Quidditch Pitch in the background. "Oh, Harry, I meant to ask you, are you going to play Quidditch this year?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm going to take care of you and Arabella instead." He smiled.
She turned around to look at him. "You don't have to do that. You love Quidditch."
He nodded smiling. "Yeah, but I love Arabella and you more," he said not realizing what he said. She gave him a confused look. He widened his eyes. "You know what I mean."
She nodded, a little disappointed but not showing it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He gathered her in his arms for a hug. Hermione wrapped her arms aroung him as best she could, neither teen wanting to let go.
*****
Somewhere far away, Voldemort sat in his chair, he called it his "throne", while Lucius Malfoy was kneeling down to him.
"Are you sure of this, Lucius?" he asked.
"Yes, I saw it from my son's mind through a Pensive. The Mudblood is pregnant Harry Potter's child," the servant said.
Voldemort nodded and said, "Interesting." He sat back in his chair and stared forward at nothing.
"Very interesting."