Another month passed quickly and soon it was time to go back to Hogwarts for their Fifth Year. They were a bit reluctant to go because of Dumbledore, but McGonagall supported and encouraged them to go back and continue their education. They did not care what others thought of them or said about them. They would walk into the Great Hall with their heads held high. They would not care what Dumbledore said, either. They understood his reasoning, but not his way of working things out. Harry assured Hermione that Dumbledore was not going to bother them with the baby and Voldemort would not try to hurt them.
Hermione's parents had decided to stay for the rest of the summer. They had planned to stay just for a few weeks, then it became just a couple of months, until it became the whole summer. Every now and then, though, they would go back to spend a night in their home. They had stayed for Hermione and her pregnant condition, to which their daughter was very grateful of.
The two teens had went to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. Hermione had worn one of Harry's large shirts, so that she could conceal her pregnancy from reporters like Rita Skeeter. It did some good to hide it, but you had to really look to notice it.
It soon came time to pack up for the trip to Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione packed up their trunks and left out an oufit to wear the next day. Charlotte, Jacob, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks were sad to see them leave.
Hermione was especially sad to leave Grimmauld Place because now she couldn't wake Harry up so that he could cook her chili and bananas. She was sure that she could ask one of the house elves to bring it to her room a few nights. But if they didn't want to, that was okay. She didn't believe in slavery, so she wouldn't force them to do anything for her. However, it still wouldn't be the same. She loved Harry's cooking and she loved talking to him at night. They couldn't do that anymore except on weekends, now that they were going back to school.
On September the first, Jacob Flooed back to his home and drove the SUV back to Grimmauld Place. He was going to drive the two teens and his wife to King's Cross. Remus and Tonks were going to apparate. Sirius could not go, however, because he was in hiding. They were sad about that. Sirius hugged Harry tight, telling him that he would see them for Christmas.
"Got everything?" the Granger patriarch asked them as they put the last of Harry and Hermione's belongings into the SUV.
They nodded and got into the SUV, Harry helping Hermione in, of course. They drove off, giving Sirius one last wave, as he was waving in the upstairs window.
When they arrived at the train station, Harry grabbed his trunk out of the back, Jacob grabbed Hermione, while she held onto Crookshanks' basket, which she had been holding onto during the journey. Meanwhile, Charlotte went to get a trolley to put their belongings on. Jacob did this work and they set Crookshanks' basket and Hedwig's cage on top. Then they walked into King's Cross train station to find Remus and Tonks.
They found them standing at the platforms nine and ten, right where the two teens were supposed to depart from. They turned to the adults and said their goodbyes; then, went through the barrier to meet the Hogwarts Express. The pair saw a lot of students getting on the train, saying goodbye to their parents, and bringing their trunks to the stationmaster to put on the train.
Hermione was extremely nervous to go any further. She pulled on her shirt again to make it puff out and conceal the baby a little. It was no use. Harry could still see the bump. "Hey, it's going to be okay," he reassured her grabbing her hand, making her smile for a moment. "I'm here."
They walked toward the red train, still hand-in-hand. "I'm going put our trunks up. Do you want to come with me? Or do you want to get onto the train?" Harry asked.
"I'm coming with you," she replied holding on tight to his hand and together they brought their belongings to the stationmaster, but keeping their carry-on bags, which were filled with stuff to do on the train ride.
"Come on, let's go find a compartment," Harry said pulling her along. Hermione looked around to see if anyone was looking at her. None were. So far.
They got onto the train and looked for an empty compartment. They found one almost at the end of the train. "Here, this one's empty. Come on." He opened the door and let her in, following in after her. He sat her down on one side of the compartment, while he sat on the other. "No one noticed anything. We may just survive the journey to Hogwarts," he said trying to make her smile. It worked for a minute and then she just gazed out the window, waiting for the train to depart.
Thirty minutes later, they were well on their way to Hogwarts. They had departed about twenty-five minutes before. Hermione was getting a little antsy. She could not read her book or pay attention to it. She kept gazing off and daydreaming, worrying what people were going to say. She knew she should keep her head held high, like her Dad told her to, but she could not help but worry. Harry saw that she was not reading, he immediately knew something was wrong. "Hermione, are you okay?"
"Huh?" She looked at him. "Oh, yeah, I don't know. I guess I'm a little nervous."
Harry gave her a weak smile and said, "Hey, I'll stand there with you the whole time. If anyone says anything bad about you, I'll punch them until they can't do magic anymore."
Hermione smiled gratefully that he was protecting her and unborn baby Arabella. They heard a knock coming from the compartment door. Before they could look to see who it was, it opened and they groaned at who it was.
"So, it's true, then. Little Mudblood got herself knocked up," Draco Malfoy sneered. Standing behind him were his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. Harry shot up and grabbed Malfoy by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Malfoy just laughed.
"Shut up, Malfoy! And never call her that again!" Crabbe and Goyle tried to get him away from Malfoy, but couldn't.
"What's the matter, Potter? Afraid to say that the baby is yours? Afraid to say that you had sex with a Mudblood." Now Harry was really angry. He yelled and shoved him out the door. They all winced when his head hit the wall. Malfoy stood up and punched Harry in the face. It did nothing, though. Harry just punched him back in the face and then grabbed him again and pinned him to the wall.
"The baby is mine. And you should have sex with a Muggleborn one day." He leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Its amazing."
He shoved him one last time. "Not bloody likely," Malfoy said and then he, with Crabbe and Goyle left. Harry walked back into the compartment. He sat down, but this time next to Hermione.
"You should not have done that," she said solemnly.
"He should not have insulted you," Harry retaliated grabbing her hand and holding it in his.
Hermione thought about what Malfoy said, "Malfoy said, 'it's true'. Then that must mean that someone or a few people know."
Harry looked at her. "Yeah, we probably didn't see them look at us."
Hermione looked out the window again. Harry gazed at her.
"I thought you weren't going to let it bother you," he said to her.
She turned back to look at him. "I know, but I can't help but worry, you know?"
"Yeah, I worry, too. You know what's a shame though? Something that I feel horrible about?"
"What?" she asked him curiously.
"It's that I did this to you, and you have to suffer with the evidence," he gestured to her stomach. "While I get to walk around like nothing's happened. It's as much my fault as it's yours."
"No, Harry, it's equally our faults. No one has more blame than the other. As for suffering, I think I could manage, but not without you," she said nodding confidently.
"I'll stand next to you a lot and then, they'll know it's my baby," he said smiling. She smiled back. "That sounds perfect."
They both changed into their robes. Each one leaving the compartment at one point to let the other change. Later that night, the train arrived at Hogsmeade Station. Everyone piled out out of the Express onto the platform. Harry, as always, held on tight to Hermione's hand. They made their way to the horseless carriages. Quite a lot of people watched them pass them. Some leaned over to their friend next to them and began to talk about them.
"Is she pregnant?"
"Who's the father?"
"I bet it's Potter!"
"Why are they back at school?"
"They think they can raise a child at Hogwarts?"
"Wait until the Daily Prophet hears about this!"
They, of course, ignored them, and got into a carriage. Harry helped her in and then turned to the other students and glared at them. They hurried away, scared of what the soon-to-be new father would do to them. Then he got into the carriage. Before it took off, the door opened and they saw their friend and fellow Gryffindor housemate, Neville Longbottom.
"Hey, Neville," they said uncertainly.
"Hey, Harry, Hermione," he looked at Hermione's stomach. "Oh, it's true."
"Yeah, you got a problem with it, Neville?" Harry asked challenging him.
"N-no, Harry, of course not. I swear. Just as long as you two are okay," he said with a genuine smile.
They smiled back, glad that at least one student was supportive. "Would you like to share a carriage with us, Neville?"
"Sure, thanks." He got in and sat opposite of them and the carriage took off. "How was your summer?" But before they could answer, he realized he probably shouldn't have asked that. "Sorry, stupid question."
"No, Neville, it's okay. It was good, actually," Hermione said smiling at him. "What about you, Neville?"
"My summer was okay. My gran brought me to a Muggle greenhouse to look at the Muggle plants there. They're quite fascinating!" he said enthusiastically.
They smiled at him and rode to the castle talking for a little bit until they stopped. They got out of the carriage and went up into the castle, going to the Great Hall, and sitting at the Gryffindor table. Harry and Hermione looked up at the Head Table and saw two people looking at them. One was a face they were happy to see. It was Professor McGonagall. She was smiling at them and nodded a little at them. They smiled and nodded back. The second person was one they did not want to think about. It was Dumbledore.
He was staring at them with a stern expression. He wished he could have enforced his "plans" on them. Unfortunately, he couldn't, since they were both emancipated and were now considered adults. They could not be forced to do anything.
This time, instead of McGonagall leading in the First Years in, it was Professor Flitwick. Although they couldn't see him until he stepped up onto a stool in front of the Head Table. He called the first name and the Sorting Ceremony started. Quite a few were sorted into Gryffindor.
Once it was over, Dumbledore stood up and began his speech. Hermione was hungry, so she thought of another reason to kill Dumbledore. She was eating for two and him talking for nine and a half hours wasn't going well with her.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts and First Years, welcome to Hogwarts! I have a few matters I need to discuss with you." Hermione sighed a little loudly and put her head on Harry's shoulder, about to go mad with hunger. "First, please welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge!" Harry and Hermione didn't notice her when they walked in. It was actually kind of hard to because she was dresses in pink and was very easy to stand out. "Let's all give her a warm welcome to Hogwarts!" Everyone clapped their hands, uncertain of what to think of her. She looked innocent enough.
"Second, as you all know, the Forbidden Forest is, in fact, forbidden, so it is off limits to all students." He looked at Harry and Hermione and looked like he was about to say something. Harry gave him a look that clearly said, 'Go ahead, say it, and see what happens! Just try it!' "That is all. Let the feast begin."
Food appeared on the table and Hermione dove right ahead into helping herself. Harry looked shocked. 'Did I just scare Dumbledore?' he thought to himself. Hermione noticed something was wrong with him. "Is something wrong, Harry?" she asked after she swallowed a bite of mashed potatoes.
"Did you see the look he gave us?" he asked her.
"Yeah, he looked like he was about to spill our secret," she said nodding.
"I don't think it's much of a secret anymore. I mean, it looks like the whole school knows by now," he said looking around and seeing people look at them every now and then. "It looked like he was going to say his 'plan'."
"Why didn't he, then?" she asked as she did not see the face Harry gave Dumbledore.
"I think I scared him," he said looking shocked.
"What?" she asked. "You scared Dumbledore?!"
He nodded. "I think so. When he looked at us, I could tell he wanted to say it, so I glared at him, silently asking him to do it and see what was going to happen; but, he just changed his mind." He smiled and looked at her. She smiled back and they chuckled a bit, not believing what just happened.
Harry began eating now, piling his plate with various food. After the feast was over, Dumbledore said that it was time to go to the dormitories and go to sleep. Harry and Hermione got up and walked out of the Great Hall. Hermione grabbed his arm, "Harry, wait, McGonagall told us that we get our own room , remember?"
"Oh, yeah, where is she?" he asked looking at the Head Table for her. "She's not there."
"Potter, Granger," they heard. They turned around and saw her standing there. "Professor, we were just looking for you!" Hermione said with a smile.
"Yes, come with me," she said with a slight smile. Harry and Hermione both said goodnight to Neville and followed their Head of House to a portrait of a beautiful goddess it looked like, to a secluded part of the castle. The goddess had blonde, flowing hair and was wearing a white wrap. "This is Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and raw sexuality." They both blushed at the last one. "Well, this is a suite. It's our largest suite. There are three bedrooms, one for the each of you. You may choose a password, only you two and I will know it."
The two teens tried to think of a password that Dumbledore would never think of. Hermione got it and said, "Arabella."
Harry looked at her and smiled.
"'Arabella' it is," McGonagall said.
Aphrodite looked at them and smiled. "Hello, my children, what is your password?"
"'Arabella'," Hermione told her and the portrait opened, letting the three enter. It was amazing.
The Common Room was a red color, much like the Gryffindor one was. There was a red couch, and two red armchairs, in front of a roaring fire. There was a wooden table with four chairs in the corner. A staircase led up to what they guessed was their bedrooms.
"This is perfect, Professor," Hermione said looking around in awe. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, Professor, for doing this," he said.
"It was my pleasure, you two. I couldn't have you raising a baby in a dorm with four other people. From now on, this is your home here at Hogwarts. For the rest of you Hogwarts years, this is where you will stay," she said.
They nodded.
"Okay, tomorrow is Saturday, so there's no class. So, you have all weekend to get settled. Also, I'll make an appointment to see Madame Pomfrey." They nodded. "Oh, I almost forgot." She walked over to a quill on the table. "Never use this quill. It is a portkey. It will take you to the Hospital Wing, if you are ever need her. There is an identical one in each of the bedrooms. Never touch them unless you need to. They're safe ones, so that Hermione won't harm the little one." They nodded once again.
"One more thing. Dobby!" she called.
Dobby, Harry and Hermione's house elf friend popped into view. "I'm sure you know Dobby. He's going to help you two. He's going to get food for you two, when you need it, especially you, Miss Granger, you know in your condition."
Hermione asked, "Professor, you...pay him right?"
McGonagall looked astounded. "Of course, Miss Granger, each house elf is paid equally and with very good wages."
Hermione smiled satisfied.
"Goodnight, you two, get some sleep, and I assure you, the Headmaster does not know anything about this," she assured them.
"Goodnight, Professor, and thank you again," they chorused together as she left.
Dobby was still there. "Dobby is happy to be working for Harry Potter sir and his Hermy friend."
"It's 'Hermione', Dobby," she said with a blush and a smile.
"Dobby is sorry. Her-her-mione," he struggled to say but eventually got it out. "Dobby gets anything Miss Hermione wants."
"Actually, Dobby, I'm fine now, but thank you," she said politely.
"Okay, if you needs Dobby, just call and Dobby will come."
Hermione nodded and he disappeared. Hermione turned to the father of her child, who smiled at her. She smiled back.
"Come on, let's go to sleep." He took her upstairs and saw a hallway, with three doors. He went into one on the left. He looked at the trunk that lay on the ground in front of the bed. There was a H.G. on the side of it. "Hermione, this is your room."
She nodded and they heard a soft "meow". Hermione switched on a light and saw Crookshanks laying on the bed. "They must have taken him out." She went to her trunk, opened it, and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt.
"You okay, Hermione?" he asked. "Are you going to sleep now?"
She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Um, I don't know. I'm kind of tired, but I probably won't be able to sleep."
Harry nodded and said, "I'm going put my pajamas on. Then I'm going into the Common Room, if you want to join me."
She once again nodded and he left.
Harry went into his room. He immediately saw Hedwig on a perch. He let her out the window to go hunting, but told her to keep an eye out for Dumbledore seeing her. He pulled his pajamas out and put them on. When he was finished, he heard a knock on his door.
"Yeah? Come in!" The door opened and Hermione stood there. "Harry, come see this."
He followed her out the room and into the other bedroom, which was going to be Arabella's nursury. He gasped at what he saw. "Oh, my God!"
"I love Professor McGonagall," Hermione said to him.
In the nursury, they saw a circular baby crib against one wall, a baby changing station, a bookcase with a few baby books already on it, a rocking chair, a dresser, and a few stuffed animals. It wasn't a perfect nursury, but it was a start.
"I can't believe she did this for us!" Harry exclaimed.
"Yeah," she agreed. He walked over to her and gathered her in his arms, hugging her tight, but not too tight to squish Arabella. "I told it was going to be okay." He kissed her on the top of the head.
"We need to thank her, send her a letter tomorrow. Dobby can pop over there and give it to her," she suggested.
"Yeah, she'll like that. We can spend all day fixing this place up more. Painting the walls, adding things here and there," Harry said. He felt her nod against his chest.
"Right now, all we have to worry about is avoiding Dumbledore."
Hermione pulled away from him, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."
"Yes, I guess I'll go, too," he said kissing her forehead. "Goodnight."
They both left the nursury, shutting the door and going to their respective rooms.
That night both having pleasant dreams about each other and a baby girl with brown hair and green eyes.