The Lion's Serpent

Hogsmeade

I was glad that it was Saturday, so I didn't have to go to any classes. The downside of that was that Ron was coming to visit Hermione and me, which made me nervous because I knew that I'd have to tell him about the baby. I could hardly get any sleep the night before, even after Draco told me that it would go fine. As a result, I went into the common room with rings around my eyes, which immediately told Draco that I hadn't slept. "Gin, it's going to go just fine with your brother. I told you that," he said. "It's not like you have the ability to see the future, babe. I have every right to be worried about how my brother's gonna react to the news," I said. "Yeah, you're right. Just know that you can always talk to me if you need to," he said. "I know, love," I said, hugging him before going to take a shower. When I came out, Ron, Hermione, and Draco were talking about something random. "Hey Ginny!" Ron said excitedly. "Hey Ron," I replied, smiling slightly. "You okay? You look like you didn't get much sleep last night," he asked. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was worried about something, and I couldn't get to sleep," I said. "What were you worried about?" Ron asked, and I hesitated before saying anything. "Just how you were going to react to something that I found out yesterday," I said, and he gave me a confused look. "Ron... I'm pregnant with Draco's baby," I said, and Ron just sat there looking at me. "Are you serious?" He asked. "Yes, Ron. We didn't plan on this happening, but I'm actually excited to be a mum. I should write to Mum and see if she has some parenting advice," I said. "I agree. In fact, if you write her a letter today, I can bring it to her when I go home," he said. "Thanks, I'd love that," I said, getting up to write a letter to Mum.

After I gave Ron the letter, we went out on the grounds, sitting under a tree near the black lake. "I can't believe that I'm gonna be an uncle!" Ron said. "Well, believe it, because it's true," I told him. "I know. By the way, when are you planning on telling the rest of the family?" He asked. "Probably at Christmas," I replied. "What about Draco's family?" Hermione chimed in. "Oh God, I didn't even think about that!" I said. "I would prefer if they didn't know, actually. You know how my father is," Draco said. "It's their grandchild. They deserve to know," Hermione protested. "We'll tell them about the baby, but only after it's born. I don't want my father trying to hurt Ginny," Draco said. "Fair enough. I'm so happy for you guys, and if you ever need help, you can always ask me," Hermione said. "We will, thanks for offering," I said with a smile.

That evening, I decided to relax and read on the couch in the dormitory, with my head in Draco's lap. "You know, on tomorrow's Hogsmeade trip, we could go to the Hog's Head. It's much calmer than the Three Broomsticks," I mentioned. "You know, I like that idea. The only thing is, if either of us start talking about the baby, someone would be more likely to overhear, and then they'd probably tell the whole school," he said. "Oh. I didn't even think of that. Maybe we should go to the Three Broomsticks instead," I said. "I'd prefer that," Draco replied. "Oh, I just realized, one of us has to tell Professor McGonagall about -" I said before being cut off by the door opening. "No need. Professor Dumbledore already informed me," McGonagall said from the doorway. "Oh, that makes sense," I said. "Indeed. After exams, pretty much all of your classes will be free periods, so hopefully you won't have to worry about missing any classes when your child is born," she said. "Thank you, Professor," I said. She responded with a curt nod, then swept out of the room, and the door closed behind her. "Well, that takes care of that problem," I said. "Yes, it does. So, now what?" Draco asked. "I dunno about you, but I'm going to take a shower and then go to bed," I said. "Okay, good night. See you in the morning," he said. "Good night," I replied before heading off to take a shower.

The next morning, I decided to dress up nicely for the trip to Hogsmeade, choosing a blue long-sleeve dress, a pair of black leggings, and a necklace that I found once, combined with a pair of high heeled boots that Draco gave me as a late birthday present. I grabbed a coat, hat, and gloves, then I styled my hair in a long ponytail before heading into the common room, where I could hear Draco sleeping in his room. I laughed quietly to myself before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Draco joined me soon after, sitting next to me with a smile on his face. "Morning, love," I said. "Morning. I see you're ready for the weather today," he said. "Yeah. I see you are too. You look handsome, by the way," I said. "You look beautiful," he replied. "Thanks Draco," I said with an affectionate smile. "No problem," he replied, capturing my lips with his. When we separated, I was a giggling mess, and Draco looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. "That was, um..." I trailed off. "Odd," Draco supplied. "The timing of it was, but otherwise, it was wonderful," I said. We ate our breakfast, then joined the rest of the students waiting to be allowed to go to Hogsmeade by the caretaker, Argus Filch. Once we were on our way to the village, it started snowing heavily, taking us by surprise. "I wasn't planning on snow!" I said. "Neither was I. Sometimes life surprises you like this," Draco said, making me laugh. "I love it when you laugh," Draco said. "Thanks," I said, feeling relieved when we reached the shelter of Honeyduke's. "This is much better. No wind trying to slap me in the face with my own hair, and no snow making it hard to see," I said, for my hair had come out of the ponytail I had put it in earlier in the day.

"You want anything?" Draco asked. "Yeah, but I don't have the money for it," I said. "Don't worry about that. Just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you," he said. "Draco, you really don't -" I said, but he raised a hand to stop me. "I know that I don't have to. I want to," he said. I told him what I wanted, and he got me everything that I mentioned. "Thank you, love," I said once we left the shop, kissing his cheek. "It's my pleasure, babe. So, where to next?" He asked. "Well, it's already nearly lunchtime, so how about we head to the Three Broomsticks?" I suggested. "Good with me. Let's get back out of this terrible weather for a bit," Draco replied. We made our way to the Three Broomsticks, with me trying not to fall down, considering that I was wearing heeled boots. Eventually, I gave up and held on to Draco like a lifeline, which he didn't seem to mind. We entered the cozy building, and I felt better immediately. "I definitely chose the wrong day to wear these shoes," I said. "You couldn't have predicted that it would snow like this today," Draco said, and nodded in agreement. We sat down at a table, then Draco asked me what sounded good to me. I thought about it for a moment, then asked him to see if there was hot chocolate available. He left to get our drinks, and while he was gone, someone showed up that I wasn't expecting.