Disclaimer. I do not own anything you recognize. Just the idea for the story.
Written for The Teacher's Lounge Iron Chef competition thread.
Secret Ingredient; Ginny Weasley.
Flashbacks are Italics.
Ginny paused before going through the door that lead to Hermione and her new little bundle of joy. Ginny was a Quidditch player on the Hollyhead Harpies. She had been out of Hogwarts for two years and playing Quidditch for one year. After her trial year was up, she signed on for two years. Ginny yawned slowly as she continued being lost in her thoughts. She remembered being called into the hospital the previous night when Hermione said she was giving birth. Exhausted and tired, Ginny still arrived on time for Hermione to give birth.
She knew this would be difficult for her, but had to put a happy face on for her sister-in-law and new niece. She closed her eyes and thought back to when she first found out she was pregnant.
Ginny was twenty-two years old, and living with the man she loved with all her heart. They were going to celebrate the team's first win in Rome with the Holyhead Harpies that night at home with their two best friends. Ginny suspected she was pregnant, and didn't want to seem like anything was going on so she told her best friend first before her boyfriend. Hermione came over early and told Ginny that Ron was bringing wine. He insisted on it. Hermione found Ginny in the bathroom the night they were supposed to celebrate.
"I lost the baby," Ginny said as soon as Hermione opened the door.
"How?"
"I don't know. I just felt weird this morning and went to that Muggle doctor you told me about and I realized there the baby had passed on."
"So you really were pregnant," Hermione said and then frowned realizing it was the wrong thing to say.
"I told you I thought I was. I kept throwing up every morning at practice, and during last night's game I wanted to just go to sleep," Ginny said.
"Did you ever take that test I gave you?" Hermione had bought Ginny a Muggle pregnancy test when Ginny first told Hermione she thought she was pregnant a week ago.
"Yes, right when you gave it to me. The doctor confirmed it that night. Then when I felt funny this morning, I lost the baby. The baby was only a week old Hermione. A week! I didn't even have time to tell Harry."
"But you have to tell Harry tonight."
"Not with you and Ron there."
"I'll leave early then. I'll tell Ron not to come."
"No Hermione, I can't tell him tonight."
A knock at the locked door caused them both to jump. Harry was home early which was very unusual for Harry for he was always five minutes late to something as important as celebrating a win. Even though Ginny didn't feel like celebrating anymore.
"I'll go and tell Ron not to come." Hermione Disapparated right on the spot before Harry had a chance to see she was there.
"Ginny, we need to talk," Harry said opening the bathroom.
The redhead shook her head as a medi-witch walked past her bringing her back from her thoughts. Ginny opened the door, came in the room and saw Hermione holding her new daughter. Hermione handed Rose to Ginny as Ginny stood beside Hermione.
"Where's Ron?" Ginny asked.
"He went to go get Harry," Hermione said watching Ginny's expressions.
Ginny put on a fake smile knowing Hermione was watching her as she held little Rose in her arms. Those chubby cheeks, the soft brown hair, and the smile as she slept was more than enough of a reason for Ginny to smile. She was an Aunt. Ginny had always wanted to be an Aunt. And for the first time in her life, Ginny had a niece. A beautiful eight pound, eight ounce, nineteen inches long bundle of joy to spoil slept soundly in her arms as Ginny rocked gently.
"I can't believe you're a mother now, Hermione. It seems so weird." Ginny turned to her sister-in-law and best friend.
"Weird? How so?" Adjusting herself, Hermione sat up in the hospital bed.
"Well, you were a friend, a sister-in-law, and now a mother. It just hasn't hit me yet I guess," Ginny replied softly so she wouldn't wake the baby up. Her new niece had tiny hands and tiny feet. And looked a lot like Hermione. But she had Ron's nose.
"I know what you mean now. It seems so unreal." Hermione reached for her glass of water. Eight hours of labor made her exhausted. They all were. Ginny was with Hermione when she first had the contractions. Ginny stayed up until the birth in the wee hours of the morning and left around nine am. She only came back just at four in the afternoon before she had to go train at five. "Ginny, are you going to be okay with Harry here today?" Hermione knew they had another argument over something so small. It seemed that they always argued since they broke up over two years ago.
"I should be. After all we broke up two years ago," Ginny said.
"But you didn't tell him you were pregnant."
"Hermione, I couldn't. I couldn't tell him I had the baby, and lost the baby in the same day that he wanted to break up with me. It would have been too much for him. That's in the past now and I've moved on with someone else, but I don't want to talk about that. Today is about you and Rose." Ginny decided to sit down next to Hermione in the chair.
"I understand not wanting to talk about it. But you have to tell him you were pregnant. That changes everything."
"Hermione, let's drop it okay? Harry will be here with Ron before we know it and I don't want to have him hear what we're talking about."
Ginny put on a fake smile when she saw Harry. First loves were hard to get over.
"Did you want to hold her?" Hermione asked as Harry walked through the door. He eyed Ginny, catching her staring at him.
"No," Harry said backing up against the wall.
"I meant Rose, your goddaughter." Hermione eyed Ron.
"We were going to ask you both mate," Ron said looking from Ginny to Harry.
"What? You were going to ask me to be godmother?" Ginny said now staring at Hermione, angry that Hermione didn't mention this before.
"Well, yes. We were going to ask you and Harry to be godparents if something were to ever happen to the two of us." Hermione didn't want to look at Ginny even though Ginny was looking at her.
"I would be honored to be her godmother. I hope nothing will happen, but you know you can't predict the future," Ginny said the last part while staring at Harry. Harry tore away from her and stared at Ron.
"I'll do it as well," he said clapping a hand on Ron's shoulder and squeezing it.
"Then it's settled. Once I go back to work at the Ministry, I'll draw up the papers and make it official," Hermione said before anyone could change their minds.
"Here, take a turn Harry." Ginny stood up, forced her legs to walk over to Harry, and eyes to look at him. Their arms touched momentarily as she passed Rose to her old flame.
Once the baby was in Harry's arms, Ginny turned around and faced Hermione. She mouthed, 'Why didn't you tell me before?' to Hermione as Hermione pretended not to see by staring at the baby instead.
"If you will excuse me, I should be going to Quidditch practice. We have a game in Rome next week and I need to train some more," Ginny said suddenly.
"Thank you for coming to see us today again after a very late night we all had last night, Ginny," Hermione said yawning.
"I'm sure I'll see you before the big game next week," Ginny said as she walked over to Hermione and gave her a kiss on the head.
"You need to tell Harry. If not today, but sometime. He deserves to know," Hermione whispered so low that only Ginny could hear.
"Take care of little Rose for me," Ginny said loudly without replying to Hermione and turned around, gave her brother a hug, and didn't say one word to Harry as she walked out the door.
Ginny knew Hermione was right. But at the current time in her life, she didn't want to tell Harry they were almost Ron and Hermione with a new baby. Ginny was haunted in her dreams about the child she lost, but didn't want to burden him with it either. She knew he would have stayed with her because of the child, had she had the child, but she didn't want that. Which is why they broke up, and why she was seeing someone else.
She smiled as she stared at the little family plus Harry in the room through the back door. Ginny also knew that Hermione would have lots of help with Rose, but somewhere deep down inside, Ginny wished it was her in the hospital bed with her husband and a new baby. She knew sometime it would be in the future, but whomever it was she would be with, she knew it would be special. Just like it was with Hermione.
Special thanks to my fantastic beta who is always there for me to go to when I need help. Slytherin Head, you're an awesome beta and friend.