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Hermione gripped her coffee mug tightly, staring down at the decaffeinated drink. Her heart felt like it was racing as she waited for Charlie to join her. She had sent him an owl earlier that morning asking him to meet with her at the cafe down the street from her flat. She picked at her muffin, knowing that she needed to at least try and eat something.
The door chimed as it opened and Hermione looked up from her drink, looking to see if it was Charlie. When his warm smile met hers, she felt herself relax slightly.
“Hi,” he greeted, coming over and pressing a brief kiss to her lips. “Let me just grab a drink and then I’ll join you.”
“Okay,” she said, smiling at him nervously. She watched him as he ordered his usual, and she tried to imagine how he was going to react to the news.
The two of them had been sorta seeing each other the last three months as Charlie was on a temporary leave from the Romanian Reserve. He had moved back home to help his family cope with the loss of losing Fred. The two of them, while enjoying themselves, hadn’t really taken the time to try and define their relationship.
Her news, however, would change everything.
Charlie took a seat across from her and sipped his drink. “So, what’s going on? You were incredibly vague in your letter this morning.”
“Sorry,” she said, blushing slightly.
“Is everything okay?” Charlie asked. “You seem nervous.”
“I… I have something that I need to tell you.”
“Okay,” Charlie said, reaching across the table and placing one of his hands over hers. “Whatever it is, you don’t need to be nervous.”
“I don’t know how it happened, Charlie… We’ve been so careful.” She bit her lower lip nervously as she looked at him. “I’m pregnant.”
Charlie’s eyes widened in shock. “I… Er… You are?”
Hermione nodded. “I was a few days late, so I took a test. It’s positive.”
Charlie squeezed her hand that he was still covering. “Wow… That’s unexpected.”
She took a deep breath. “Trust me, this wasn’t in my ten-year-plan,” she said, laughing dryly. “But… I think I’m going to keep it.” She looked at Charlie nervously. “I’m not asking you to do anything, but I wanted you to know-”
“Hermione, what are you talking about? Of course, I’m going to do things.” Charlie looked at her in confusion. “This is my baby, too, and while we haven’t been seeing each other very long…” He paused, swallowing nervously. “I’m falling in love with you, Hermione. And if we’re having a baby together, I want to be in your life… In any capacity that you’ll have me.”
“I… Of course, you can stay in my life,” she said, her heart racing. “I didn’t mean to insinuate that you couldn’t, but I-” She froze, realising what he said. She looked at him hopefully. “You’re falling in love with me?” she asked quietly.
Charlie offered her a reassuring smile. “I am, Hermione.”
The look he gave her nearly caused her to melt into a pile of goo. “I’m falling in love with you, too, Char.”
He grinned at her words. “We’ll have a lot to figure out… Whether I’ll stay now, or if you’ll be interested in coming to Romania… But we have time to figure that out.”
Hermione visibly relaxed into her chair. “I was worried about how you’d feel.”
“I’m excited,” Charlie told her sincerely. “And my Mum…”
Hermione nodded in understanding. She knew that Molly had been incredibly depressed since losing Fred, so she hoped that a new baby in the family would help to heal the hole in the family. She knew that she couldn’t replace Fred, but a baby… It was a step forward in the future, and from the look on Charlie’s face, he felt the same way.
“Please don’t let her force us to get married,” Hermione said after a moment.
Charlie laughed. “No, let’s navigate a pregnancy and an official relationship before we take that step.”
She let out a sigh of relief. Leaning across the table, she smiled when Charlie met her halfway, the two of them kissing softly.
“We’re having a baby,” she said, smiling at him warmly.
Charlie beamed. “Yeah, we are.”