A Sponsor & A Gentleman

Part I

Part I

Sponsor (v.)

To accept responsibility for someone else's actions or situation

The day started off dismal. A rainy, dreary horizon without the slightest ray of sun to split the melancholy with the promise of sunny days to come. No, they were forced to endure. Harsh and cold, like the lands of Scotland were. Drafty and dark, like the walls of Hogwarts castle were.

It only soured from there.

Hermione Granger hadn't felt right for days. She was exhausted so much that her eyes felt heavy in a long lecture, barely able to finish a class without having to pinch herself awake on threat of a bruise. The frequency of her lack of appetite raised concern. Then there was the absence of something that happened every month that ensured her suspicion was correct.

With tears in her eyes, she found a spell that could be used to self-diagnose.

The stream of orange magic appeared above her eyes. It was filled with lots of information. Her heart rate. It was rather fast. Given the circumstance, the elevation seemed appropriate. Her weight and height were there. As was her respiration rate, oxygen levels, her blood sugar levels. Through the miscellaneous information was a pesky little statement buried between the statement of her approximate age and the newly found chemical within her body.

Four weeks gestation.

The newly found chemical within her body was human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG). It was created by a placenta when implanted with an embryo.

She fanned her hands at her face to keep the tears at bay in their own waters. She could not cry. The time for crying was over. Decisions, important ones, were all that mattered now.

It was that very circumstance that made pregnancy termination a thing she supported. She was in no position to support a child. Sixteen was no age to become a mother. There was no viable experience in which she could balance boarding school in a magic castle and raising another human. If she was unable to attend Hogwarts, she'd be Oblivated, left alone with magical abilities and no knowledge of her life, her friends, or Ron.

Ronald Weasley was her boyfriend. They'd finally decided to give it a try after a few years of being friends. Truthfully the only reason they spoke was because of Harry Potter. At first, he was the friend they pulled at between the pair of them. Ron didn't like Hermione because she was assertive. Hermione despised Ronald for his narrow-minded thinking. Poor Harry right at the center.

Time healed all things. As did rogue trolls loose in the loo. The trio had taken down the beast after a mischievous pair of wizards known at the Weasley twins explored the dungeons and released the troll by mistake. The entire castle descended into a panic.

The brash Ron wanted to find it. Harry followed to be apart of the action while Hermione joined merely to ensure that they didn't hurt themselves. Neither were ready for a troll. She was not either. But, the two boys were too lax with their schooling to be of real threat to a pixie, much less a full-grown troll.

That was years ago. They were sixth years now. Grown up, with much more knowledge but not much more wisdom.

Clearly. Underage pregnancy was not the action of the wise.

Hermione found Ron before breakfast. His hair was sloppy and uncombed. Ends of it stuck everywhere. Small yellowish golden crust rested in the corner of his eyes. Wrinkles rampant throughout his robes and trousers. Even his tie.

She appraised him with a frown. "Do you have a minute?"

"Can it wait?" He pointed to the open doors of the Great Hall. Aromas of breakfast wafted through the open barrier, making her mouth water and stomach churn. "I'd like a spot before class."