Written for the Harry Potter Cooking Club Challenge, with the prompts: Apples (gathering), Vanilla (Write about someone with wealth), Milk (write about an expecting mother), Eggs (Hermione Granger) and Oatmeal (morning).
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
"Hermione! You're up!" Ron Weasley exclaimed as he glimpsed his wife walking into the spacious dining room. He capered over with a sort of uncontained joy to where she was standing and kissed her on the cheek.
"Good morning, love!" He exclaimed, perhaps a bit too cheerfully, so early in the day. Evidently Hermione thought so too, as she untangled herself from his embrace, eyeing him suspiciously, and not without some annoyance. "Is it, Ronald? Is it? I've been kept up all night because I'm double my normal size and I can't move. My back hurts, I feel nauseous AND I'M SO HUGE THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN MY SOCKS IN DAYS. So no, not really a good morning."
Any other day, perhaps, Ron Weasley would have balked under his wife's steely gaze. Today, however was not one of those days, for reasons unbeknownst to Hermione. Instead, he ruffled her hair (ruffled her hair!) and told her to get ready in an hour for her "big surprise".
Hermione stared at him with some bemusement, curiosity getting the better of her as she hurriedly ate her breakfast and tried to guess what the surprise could possibly be.
*****2 DAYS BEFORE******
"Wow, Gin- this is great!"Ron Weasley exclaimed as he stared at the spacious white room, which used to be the Potter's spare room. It was almost never used, and opened only when the Minister came to visit. But now, the pristine, ivory themed room had undergone a serious makeover. Streamers and balloons formed a canopy over their heads, the sofa was covered with a pink quilt and there were little teddy bears and dolls sitting at various angles on it. And most amazingly, a white cot stood right in the centre of the room, decorated beautifully with cushions and pillows and a tiny rose coloured blanket.
As Ron took this all in, his sister stared at him somewhat anxiously. "D'you think she'll like it? I mean, maybe it's a bit much, but I thought that she kinda deserves it. I mean, I've called all the women from the Ministry and from Hogwarts also, and the rest of the family's going to be here as well, obviously so I thought we'd have a little party maybe? Like, just a gathering of all her friends I thought."
Ron turned to her with a huge grin. "I love it!" He said, smiling even more, if that was possible. Thank you so much, Gin, for thinking of this- it'll really mean a lot to her."
"You think so? Great! Bring her by on Wednesday, okay? We'll give her an amazing baby shower."
But a worried look entered Ron's eyes. "Gin-it's just too much. I-I-I don't want to...impose...it must have cost a lot...I-you can't do that for us-"
He was cut off as his sister punched him on the shoulder. Quite hard, too. "Don't be an idiot, Ronald Weasley. Harry and I, we want to do this for Hermione. Because, quite frankly, she totally deserves it. And if you say one more word, I will knock your teeth out. We can afford this...and I can't think of a better way to spend the money."
Ron smiled at her rather sheepishly, rubbing his arm. "So...Wednesday, then?"
"Perfect."
****BACK TO THE PRESENT*****
Apparently, Hermione thought that it was perfect too. She was standing in the middle of the room and gaping at everything in it, much as Ron had done a few days earlier. As she stared at the cot, at the faces of her friend, all beaming, eager to see her reaction, tears filled her eyes. She turned to Ron, Harry and Ginny, all of whom were standing behind her and enveloped them in a bone crushing hug.
"It's amazing, you guys," she whispered. "Thanks so much."
She kissed Ron softly, looking happier than he had ever seen her, and was carried away carefully by Ginny to meet the rest of her friends.
Ron picked up a flower from the table absentmindedly. He twirled the pale pink, half blown rose in his hands, as he watched Hermione laughing and hugging everyone. He looked down at the beautiful blossom in his hands, a few crystal-like drops of water still on its petals. He smiled suddenly, for he had just thought of a name for his first born child.
And it was perfect.
