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It was a cool day in April, and the wind made the leaves on the trees dance lightly, like tiny ballerinas. Flowers dotted the ground like a set of paints, with bright green leaves and blushing pink flowers. The water burbled lightly in a nearby stream, and the birds echoed it with soft, warbling voices.
Despite the calm outward atmosphere of the Potter household, one would never guess that inside, a certain woman named Ginny Potter was having a meltdown. While pregnant. And the two were never a good combination for the hot-tempered redhead.
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T SELL CRAB PUFFS! I NEED THEM FRESH, AND I NEED THEM NOW. OH, IS THAT HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY IT? BRING IT ON! I AM A FORMER HOLYHEAD HARPIES CHASER, AND MY BROOMSTICK WILL WALLOP YOUR A-"
"Ginny, dear," Harry said in the resigned manner that many a pregnant man have assumed once they realize for nine months, their wife is a raging, hormonal, and sometimes unrecognizable woman. "You'll wake up, Teddy."
Ginny glared ferociously at Harry in a way that would've scared many a brave man. "Shut it, Harry!" With that, she turned back to the person on the phone, who had just spoken again, "YES, THAT IS HARRY FREAKING POTTER! YES, I AM THAT CHASER. OH SURE, NOW YOU WANT TO SELL ME CRAB PUFFS! YOU KNOW WHAT, MISTER, I DON'T EVEN CARE! YEAH? WELL, YOU TOO!"
With that, Ginny slammed the phone back onto the receiver. Her face, which had previously been alive with unabashed fury, now stood blank. Then, suddenly, her lip started quivering, until in one big blast, she began sobbing. ""I—I ha—ate fellytones, Harry. Why can't we just use Floo powder like we did in the old days? Why did everything ha-have to g-gget so Muggle? Why Harry, why?"
Harry stroked his wife's hair. "Shh…it's okay, Gin."
Ginny was silent, then started whimpering. "Ha—Harry?"
Harry looked at her. "Yes, dear?"
Ginny sniffled, and then said in a small voice, "Harry…I want crab puffs."
Harry squeezed her hand. "I know, love, I know."
After a shower and nice cup of orange tea, Ginny was calm and placated. Her hair was in a low ponytail, and her brown eyes had a warm, content look in them. It may have also had to do with the fact that she had her best friend, Hermione Granger, to gripe with about all the trials of her life. She was exaggerating them only slightly, but sometimes it was just easier to let Ginny Potter be. It was better that way.
"So then I told Gwenog, well, you better get off your high thestral before I-" It was just hours before Ginny's baby shower. Naturally, as most women tend to do, Ginny had to gripe about the things she didn't like about people before she could see them calmly, without complaint, a few hours later. This was especially necessary as Ginny was under a lot of "stress", that most people just called baby hormones. Ginny prattled on and on, in the bubbly, vivacious way she always did, but she stopped when she noticed that her normally chipper and insightful friend was strangely quiet, her bushy hair falling in light waves over her brows. Her eyes looked a million miles away, and she knew she shouldn't prod. But, she was Ginny, so that was just what she did.
"Hermione, what is the matter? You look as lost as if you'd been hit by a stray Bludger…and seeing that you're absolutely dreadful at Qudditch, then something must be up."
Hermione, usually tolerant of her friend's sarcastic remarks, gave Ginny a scathing look and then said, "Fine then. If you want to add to my list of flaws, go ahead. I know there's a bunch, everyone seems too… Then, without warning, she burst into a heap of tears.
Ginny gave her friend a worried look. "Mione, you know I was joking. What's the matter, hmm?" Ginny patted her friend's back consolingly. Ginny could be a pain in the bollocks, but she did truly care about her friends.
Hermione gave a long sigh, then said softly, "I don't know. Well, yes I do. It's just…gah, it's too hard to explain."
Ginny gave her friend an encouraging smile, then handed her a tissue. "Here, I have plenty. You should know, with all the hormonal outbursts that I have around you…"
Hermione gave a small laugh, but it quickly dissolved into choking tears that had to be stifled with one strong blow of a nose. "It's just… with you and Harry having the baby, and I haven't been able to…well, have one, I've just started thinking more and more about all my flaws…"
Ginny's heart sank. After all those weeks that Hermione had been so obliging as Ginny furiously planned her extravagant baby shower, she had not even noticed the fact that her friend was deteriorating right under her nose. The more se thought about it, the more she could remember moments when Hermione had excused herself from planning, her eyes unnaturally bright, how she had looked at all the baby decorations with a sad, hopeless look on her face, how she had looked dejected every time Ginny had talked about how someday soon, with all of their living space, Hermione and Ron should be having one of their own soon. Ginny had not even noticed how, slowly but surely, she had been bringing her best friend's confidence down. And she felt awful.
"Aww, I'm so sorry, Mione. I've been awful these past few weeks…all in your face, just baby, baby, baby…I should've been more careful…"
Hermione sniffled. "Oh, Gin, it's not your fault. It's not just the baby...although that's a big part…it's just, Ron is the stunning, talented, amazing, famous Auror…and I'm just me. And I know how much he loves kids, he's always great with Teddy and Victoire and the others…and the awful thing is that he never says anything because he's too nice, but I know how much he wants a girl to protect, and a boy to play Qudditch with…. And I think about Lavender, and all those other girls so much more beautiful than me who could give him so much more…and oh, Gin…what if he leaves me?" Hermione's eyes were glassy and misted with tears. "I'm nothing…just an annoying, pompous bookworm, and he can do so much better...and what if he realizes that? I know it's selfish, Ginny, but I hope so much that he won't realize that there are better, prettier, funnier woman in the world than me who would gladly take my place. If he left…it broke me so much the first time, during the Hunt, and if it happened again, I don't know what would happen…" Hermione shivered and shuddered, despite her jacket and the warm late spring sunshine filtering in the glass panes of the window.
Ginny's mouth was wide open in shock. Hermione noticed and blushed. "I know it's bad Gin…and I'm so sorry-"
Ginny held up her hand to stop her friend. "Just zip it, Hermione. For the brightest witch of your age, you sound so utterly stupid right now. Hermione, you have so much going for you…you're brilliant, beautiful, and the best friend a girl could have. Now, I don't expect you to believe me…I've had plenty of self-esteem issues, trust me, especially after the diary…but even if you don't feel witty, or gorgeous, or even remotely amazing, just always, always remember that even though you may feel worth less than a Blast-Ended Skrewt, there is someone who loves you despite all your quirks. And don't ever kid yourself that my brother is some amazing Superman. I think he's the most daft, pig-faced, pea-brained git in this world, but I still love him. And so do you. And that's the beautiful thing about love-that someone will love you despite all the crazy, messed- up things about you. And Hermione…don't worry about kids, 'kay? You've got years…and you and Ron married much later than Harry and I…everyone knows you had to have some more time to sort out your feelings…no surprise, as it took you seven years to even kiss! But don't worry…things like this have a way of happening when the time is right…even though it may seem like that time is now, just remember that someone always has a plan." She cast her eyes to the sky, and gave a faint smile that something that may not have been visible in flesh, but certainly was in spirit.
The two women gave each other affectionate smiles. They had helped each other with so much-but nothing more so than their boy troubles. Each was vastly good at solving the other's problems, but awful at their own. But that didn't really matter. They would always have each other to help.
"Now," Ginny said, "I've just got me some new crab puffs…and the guests are set to arrive at any minute…so let's get this baby shower started!"
Ginny's parties were always known as a good time, and there was definitely plenty of them, but that very one was the one that flashed in Hermione Granger's mind , two years later, as she held her newborn daughter, Rose in her arms. She already had a smattering of freckles on her nose, courtesy of Ron's Weasley genetics, and Ron's bright blue eyes. All of her features were an echo of Ron's- except for the small, little brown curl of hair that had sprouted almost as soon as she had been born. Hermione had almost laughed- not an hour into the world, and her daughter was already sporting the infamous Granger curls-and she knew her daughter would hate them as she grew older. Hermione most certainly had. But at the same time, their terrible hair problems made Hermione's heart glow- here was a part of Hermione, and it lay in this precious little girl. The immensity and amazingness of it nearly overwhelmed her, and her heart rate even sped up as she thought of it. The monitor noticed this immediately, and noises flashed and whirled to alert the hospital.
"Careful, love," Ron said, "Don't hurt yourself. I love you too much to have you in pain,"
Hermione giggled and turned to Ron. As she did so, though, her laughter faded, and a thoughtful expression flooded her face. Ron hadn't noticed her gaze, so he had one of his normal expressions on his face-his red hair stood out brilliantly against the maternity ward's stark white, and his blue eyes shone bright, with laugh lines etched around them. He was currently doing just that- and the expression that flooded his face made her heart melt. His eyes were sparkling, and his lovely, amazing, wonderful smile flooded his lips, crinkling in the grin she loved so dearly. She didn't know how she had ever thought he would leave her- he was the kindest man she knew, knew how to bring a smile to her lips, and was a right idiot sometimes- but the best part was, he was her idiot. Ginny was right- the greatest part of love was seeing beyond imperfections to the beauty within.
As Ron and Harry guffawed over a joke, Ginny sat down on the chair next to Hermione's bed. She rubbed her hands over her stomach-pregnant again, and heavily so, as she bounced little James on her knee. No longer did she feel jealous of her friend-Ginny had her kids, however many they were, and Hermione had hers. She wouldn't trade Rosie for all the children in the world, because Rosie was her own, beautiful, baby daughter, and that would never change.
Ginny, who during this pregnancy, was much more calm and mellow, gave Hermione a calm smile, oblivious to the thoughts that Ginny herself had helped Hermione see in her mind. "Galleon for your thoughts?"
Hermione gave a warm smile to her friend, "I just wanted to say thank you Ginny. For that time years ago, with your baby shower for James…it changed me, made me see the world in a different light…and I wanted to thank you for that."
Ginny pretended to look shocked. "Me? Teach Hermione Granger something? Why that is absurd!" Ginny gave her the surprising, disbelieving expression for a bit longer, than it lapsed into a gentle smile. "No problem, Mione. You really are an amazing person, and don't you ever forget that. Or I might have to smack you with my broom and go all crab-puff style on you." The two women giggled. That incident had gone down in history as a funny moment that they smiled when they remembered. Soon, Hermione, dazed with pain medication from giving birth, and Ginny, full of pregnancy hormones, and well, plain old Ginny hormones started laughing so hard that a nurse held up a stern finger to their lips to her lips to shush them.
The men, who had been fully absorbed in a talk about Qudditch team standings, now looked at their wives curiously. "What has gotten into you two? Don't tell me you found a secret stash of Firewhiskey, it'd be bad for both of you right now…" Harry shook his head at the woman exasperatedly.
Ron gave an earnest nod to second Harrys' comment. "Yeah, you sound like me when Harry gave me that overstrong Cheering Charm in fifth year. You lot sound even more barmy!"
The two women exchanged a glance and laughed, "Oh, don't worry Ron. It's just girl talk."