Prophecy 472

4- Who is the Father?

Ginny straightened the curtains once more and looked out the window for the millionth time. They weren't due for a few more minutes, but she couldn't help checking, just in case. The burrow was full to near capacity. After Harry's owl, word had spread quickly in the family, leading to lots of visitors. Bill and Fleur were upstairs, Percy would stop by after work, and of course Mum and Dad were home. And yet here she was, the only one tidying up. Well, not exactly the only one.

"Mum, please don't hover behind me, it's distracting."

"Sorry dear," Molly Weasley said, turning to dust down an end table. She was only feigning interest in the housework. "Tell me again exactly what Harry said."

"I've already told you," Ginny said with a sigh. "They found Hermione, they're bringing her here, and she has a child."

"Yes, well, that's the part I can't quite wrap my head around. Does she have a husband? Is she raising this child all on her own? How in the short time she's been gone did she manage to meet someone and have a baby?"

Ginny looked at her Mum, unsure of how far Molly's naivete might go.

"Mum, it is possible, you know… maybe she was pregnant before she left."

"No," Molly said with a gasp. "It couldn't be. That would mean the father was…. Oh no, you can't think that."

"I think quite a few of us think that," said George Weasley from behind the pages of the "Evening Prophet." He was perched on an armchair, his feet propped up on the coffee table. He sat there, casually reading the paper, as if oblivious to the melee going on around him. But Ginny wasn't fooled. He was anxiously waiting for the chaos to ensue, his favorite environment for the Weasley household.

"Get your feet off the table, young man." Molly swatted at George's feet and he sat up at his mother's insistence. Two seconds later his feet was back up on the table.

Ginny turned her attention back to the window and saw three familiar figures apparate into the clearing in front of the burrow.

"Well, whatever the answer, we won't have to wait long to get it."

Molly and George rushed to the window at Ginny's declaration and they all peered outside together. Sure enough, there were Ron and Harry guiding a scared-looking Hermione toward the house. And in Hermione's arms was a little girl in pigtails.

"Look at her hair," Molly whispered.

"Red," George and Ginny said together.

"They're here!" Molly shouted throughout the house. Footsteps could instantly be heard running around the various stairwells of the burrow. Angelina Johnson slid down the banister and into the living room, landing just before her husband, George. Arthur walked in from the den where he had been fiddling with a muggle hair dryer he'd recently acquired, and Bill and Fleur walked down from the guest room. Bill carried his young daughter Victoire on his shoulders.

"Eet ees so exciting!" Fleur gushed. The whole group was a mirrored image of excitement, as everyone bustled about the room trying to find a spot. As the front door opened down the hallway, the group froze in a mock casual pose, just in time for the reunited trio to walk into the room.

There was a pause as the two groups, one large one smaller, took each other in. No one seemed to know where to look, least of all Hermione, who settled on staring at her feet. The silence continued as all of the Weasleys, both new and old, took in the sight of the forgotten Hermione.

Finally, Hermione looked up, took a deep breath, and said a quiet, "Hello."

"Oh, my dear, I can't believe it's you." Molly pulled Hermione to her in a crushing hug. "I can't believe we almost lost you. Oh, you darling girl, it just hasn't been the same without you. Let me look at you. Have you been eating?"