Our Constellation--Dramione

Chapter Thirty-One

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, plotlines, characters, places, events (etc.) all belong to J.K. Rowling, she is the rightful owner. When a character is created by me, you'll know right away ;)

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9 May 1998

"Hermione, I bet you feel horrible right now!" a tired Harry exclaimed as he laid sprawled on Ginny's bed, his head resting in her lap as she toyed with his unruly strands of unkempt hair.

"Well I certainly don't feel good," she quipped incredulously.

"So why don't you do something about it?"

"Because I'm scared. I might value bravery, but it's an entirely different story when you have to practice it--quite frankly, I'd rather massage and oil Quirrell's double-sided head with my bare fingers right about now than confess to the Weasleys, 'Hey, you know, I'd actually like my child back now,' 'what child?' 'oh, you didn't know? Archie is my biological son. And guess who his father is?' There's no way that can go smoothly."

"It went well with me," Ginny said innocently.

"Me as well."

The girls turned over icy glares at him. "No, you were awful! You're alright with it now--"

"--As will they be!" Harry assured her. "I was awful to you, I didn't want to accept it, and I'm still so terribly sorry for the way I reacted and you know that I am. And I do not doubt that the Weasleys will react similarly if even that. For all we know, they could care less who the father is!"

"That's not comforting at all, Harry Potter."

"What Harry means is, chances are that yes, they'll be upset, but if they value family like I know they do, and they obviously see you like family, then they'll be more understanding. Don't let them try to forgive you, though. You did nothing wrong. You shouldn't be sorry for loving the people you do, against others' preferences. I believe you really love Malfoy."

"Thanks, Gin. Harry, why can't you be supportive like that? You give the worst advice!"

"I know!" He shouted, exasperated. "I wasn't raised in a very supportive home, you know! I have little experience to base my advice off of."

"I s'pose."

The three of them sat in the room for a while, Hermione crouched over the sleeping bag snug on the floor, and Harry and Ginny acting as a corny couple.

"I still can't believe that you're a mum! It's the strangest thing to admit out loud," Harry mused. "Now that I've seen you with him, it makes total sense, but I don't think it will ever cease to amaze me that you are a mother! How bizarre."

"I know, right?" Ginny added. "Pretty soon she'll be married too."

"What?!"

"Ginny!"

"Malfoy proposed?!"

"Not exactly. He just left me with a family heirloom the last time I saw him before our time hunting Horcruxes."

"Show him the ring!" the redhead exclaimed, bouncing on the bed like a child.

With a wave of her wand, extracted from her nightstand, she conjured the beautifully designed, ruby-encrusted diamond band and displayed it before her best friend.

"Christ, 'Mione!" was all he could manage. "It's a wonder you didn't fall straight to the bottom of the lake after we escaped from Gringotts!"

"It is a bit much for me, but I didn't see a reason not to take it."