DISCAIMER:: I don't own Harry Potter and it's universe. It all its property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. If I get sued, the only thing they can take from me is my phone, nothing else.

CHAPTER 4- I'll show you

"Staring at the clock won't make it go faster, little sister."

Ginny jumped at hearing her brother's voice in her ear. The redhead had been sitting on a stool by the cash register, her elbow on the counter and her head on her hand. She had been staring at the clock. Mondays were always slow days so they usually used that day to restock the shelves and send the orders through mail. So Ginny had spent the last two hours staring at the clock, hoping the time would go by faster so she could go to meet Hermione at Grimmauld Place.

"What are you talking about, George?" Ginny glared at her brother.

"Who's the lucky girl tonight, Gin?" George asked her.

"Nobody. Now shut up," Ginny said in a attempt to shut brother up.

"C'mon, Gin, share with your favorite brother. Who's the lucky girl tonight?" George asked and grinned at his sister.

Ginny turned to him and glared at her brother. George literally took a step back, knowing what that glare usually meant and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his sister's hexes.

"Merlin, Gin. I was just joking. Don't get your panties in a bunch, alright? I'm just glad you have a date, that's all," George said honestly. Ginny knew that only two people could make George be serious and those two were herself and his girlfriend Angelina.

Ginny sighed.

"There's no date, George," Ginny said and it was true. She had to meet Hermione to speak but it wasn't a date.

George frowned, confused.

"Them why are you acting so…fidgety?"

"I have plans, that's all. I'm going to go over Grimmauld Place to visit Hermione, Harry and Luna, that's all," Ginny said trying her best to sound nonchalant.

George narrowed his eyes at the mention of Hermione's name and he noticed how his sister put her first. Ginny's eyebrow rose in challenge.

"Oh my…Do you have a date with Hermione, Gin?" George asked.

Angelina placed two boxes on the counter in front of them and looked at Ginny.

"Did you finally ask her out?" Angelina asked.

"For Merlin's sake! Does everybody know I have feelings for Hermione?" Ginny asked scandalized.

"I have my doubts about Ron but anybody else? Yes, everybody knows," George said and nodded, grinning like a little boy.

"It was quite obvious, Ginny," Angelina added.

"Anyway, no, I don't have a date with Hermione," Ginny said but suddenly smirked. "But I hope to get one soon."

"That's my baby sister!" George patted her back. "So you finally told her?"

"We...told each other the other day," Ginny only half-lied.

"Why don't you go early, then? Go upstairs, take a shower, do your girly thing and go," George suggested.

Ginny looked at her brother, obviously surprised.

""It doesn't happen often that I'm nice, so I wouldn't waste the chance," George added when he saw the surprised look in Ginny's face.

Ginny felt like hugging her brother but she knew better than that so she simply grinned at him before running to the back of the store.

Ginny grabbed her backpack on her way to the back of the store. There was a stone staircase that led to the flat where George and Angelina were living. The redhead went straight to the bathroom to take a hot shower.

There was a knock on the door and Hermione looked up from her work. The brunette had decided to work some more on the new novel she was writing.

"Come in."

Luna entered holding a small tray with a snack for the two of them: a mug of tea for herself, a mug with warm milk with honey for Hermione, and some chocolate cookies she had made. The blonde placed the tray on the corner of the desk and pulled over the second chair so she could sit.

"Since I knew you were busy I decided to bring you a snack," Luna commented.

"You didn't have to worry, Luna," Hermione said. "I could have made it myself."

"Yes, I did have to worry. You're pregnant and you need to be healthy, so I won't let you skip any meals and will make sure that you have a snack from time to time," Luna said. The blonde lifted her mug of tea and took a sip.

"You just sounded like Ronald's mother, Luna," Hermione commented and let out a small laugh. The brunette lifted the mug of milk and smiled at the almost heavenly aroma of the warm milk with honey. "Umm…I love this…"

"I noticed that all you drink now is milk with honey," Luna commented.

"A few weeks ago I got this strange craving for milk and honey, which I only used to drink when I was sick. Later I found out I was pregnant and it all made sense," Hermione explained.

"Isn't a bit early for cravings?" Luna asked.

"According to the book I read, no, it isn't. Some women have cravings from day one, some don't have them at all," Hermione explained as she grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite. "Where did you buy these cookies? They taste amazing."

"I made them, actually. Molly taught me a few recipes," Luna replied and gave her a small smile.

Hermione nodded, clearly impressed.

"Well, you did a wonderful job, Luna. They are delicious," Hermione complimented her.

"So, what were you doing before I interrupted you?" Luna asked.

"You didn't interrupt, Luna. And I was working on my new novel." Hermione seemed to think for a moment. "I got a letter this morning."

"From who?"

"From Herman Robinson. He wants me to write about Harry, and all of us. Most specifically, about how we destroyed Voldermort," Hermione explained with a serious expression and Luna nodded.

"Harry has received thousands of those letters. I was sure that you got some too. He's not the first, is he?" Hermione shook her head. "Are you going to take his offer? I'm sure he offered a more than good amount of money."

Hermione looked surprised.

"I'm going to tell him to leave me alone. He can put his bloody interviews and books where the sun doesn't shine, for all I care," Hermione answered rather harshly. "I'm not going to write about it. Harry, Ronald and I made a pact: nobody will know what happened out there but us and those others who were in the different circumstances. Considering that most of them are Death Eaters who are either dead or in Azkaban, not many people know." Hermione focused her eyes on her mug for a moment. "Besides, not many would understand…nobody will understand…" The brunette muttered more to herself than to her friend, and Luna could see her unconsciously stroke her left arm over the clothes, where Luna knew she had the scars Bellatrix Lestrange had inflicted on her.

"You do know that if you go to St. Mungo's, they can take care of those scars, right?" Luna asked although she already knew that Hermione knew. It would be impossible for somebody like Hermione to not research about how to get rid of them.

Hermione's head shot up and looked at Luna.

"The scars will remain in their place, Luna," Hermione said with a firm tone that indicated she needed to let it go, and looked down to the parchment where she had been writing.

"Why?" Luna couldn't help to ask.

Hermione cleared her throat and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She had managed to finally tame her hair enough so it had some curl but it wasn't impossible to control anymore.

"I told Ginny to come by after work. That is okay, is it?" Hermione asked in a much nicer tone.

Luna recognized Hermione's attempt to change the subject and gave her a small nod.

"Hermione, this is your house as well now. It's okay if you ever want to bring a guest, especially if it's Ginny," Luna said. "She's our friend too, remember?" The blonde joked and Hermione nodded, smiling slightly. "So, are you going to talk about the baby?"

Hermione nodded.

"Yes, I'm going to talk to her about the baby. I don't want her to worry about it. I could never deny her to be part of the baby's life," Hermione responded.

"Then, why did you tell her otherwise? Were you so upset?" Luna asked blunt as always.

"Of course I was upset, Luna." Hermione gave her a look of exasperation. "I just…wanted her to leave me alone, I don't know, alright? I don't."

"And now? What do you want?"

"First, to apologize for some of the things I said the other night," was all Hermione said.

Ginny looked at herself on the bathroom mirror to check her outfit. She was wearing lose jeans that hugged her hips, a black fitting shirt that clung to every curve and her red sneakers. Ginny debated whether to leave only the first button undone or the first two buttons of her shirt. She wanted to look nice for Hermione, but she didn't want to look she had put THAT much effort. So the redhead simply applied some eye liner, knowing that Hermione loved how it made her eyes pop out, and a little of lip gloss, just in case. You never know when you're going to be lucky enough to get a kiss, right?

Ginny took a deep breath.

"Looking good, Weasley," Ginny said to her reflection confidently. The redhead sighed and pouted. She was usually confident but Hermione made her feel like she was 12 again, all awkward and shy and she didn't like it.

Ginny made her way down to the store, where she got a long wolf whistle from George and Angelina, and walked among the people of the Diagon Alley on her way to the store she had been thinking about for two days. The redhead stopped and smiled when she saw the store she was looking for. It was old and she had always loved to go into that store when she was a little girl.

Hermione looked up from her work again. Luna had decided to leave her alone so she could work alone on her novel. There was another knock on the door and Luna entered the room.

"Hermione, Ginny is downstairs. Do I send her up or you want to come downstairs?" Luna asked her.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"She's here? How can she be here? She gets off work at eight! That's two hours away! She can't be here already! No, no, no, she can't be here!" Hermione babbled as she panicked.

Luna smiled at her.

"Hermione, calm down. You look perfectly fine. She's here just to talk, remember? This is Ginny," Luna said.

Hermione stood up and walked to the center of the room, biting her lower lip as she considered what to do.

"Does she look good? Or she looks like she just got off work?" Hermione asked nervously. Luna was a bit taken back for a second, only Harry, Ron and Ginny had seen Hermione like this. Hermione was usually composed and calmed and the logical one, so this was a whole new side of the brunette.

"She obviously took a shower before coming here, Hermione. She looks nice," Luna answered.

Hermione began pacing in the middle of the room.

"Is she wearing make-up?" Hermione asked in a high pitched voice that Luna had never heard before.

"What?"

"If she's wearing make-up, it's because she wanted to look nice but casual. Didn't want to look like she put that much effort," Hermione explained quickly.

Luna smiled. It was amusing how Hermione was so observant sometimes, and how nervous she was at the moment. The blonde had known it all along, but it seemed that Hermione Granger was human, after all…

"She is."

"Oh, great. Just great!"

"Hermione, don't worry, you're presentable enough-"

"Presentable isn't enough!" Hermione snapped at her and glared at her blonde friend, pointing at her with her finger.

"Hermione, why don't you go get ready, then, while I keep Ginny entertain downstairs?" Luna suggested.

"Yes! That's a great, great, wonderful idea! Thank you, Luna!"

"You're welcome."

Luna turned to leave and when she opened the bedroom door, Hermione spoke again.

"Luna, what should I wear?"

Luna looked at her, amused. She had never seen this side of Hermione and it was extremely amusing to see her acting like a sixteen year old.

"The pink t-shirt and the hip hugging jeans. Running shoes and only some eyeliner. You'll look casual but nice," Luna said after a moment.

Luna left and Hermione stood there, stunned. True, she had asked for her opinion but she didn't think that Luna knew more about clothes than she did. Everybody knows more about clothes than me. But Hermione stopped meditating about Luna's knowledge about clothes and went to the bathroom.

Luna walked downstairs and entered the living room, where Ginny was waiting. The redhead had placed a small red box on the coffee table and was waiting patiently while staring at the photos on top of the fireplace.

"Give her a few minutes. You came earlier than expected," Luna said as she walked closer to her friend.

"It's okay, I know I'm early. George told me to leave early and you know him," Ginny explained.

Luna nodded.

"If George tells you to leave, then you leave." Luna noticed how tense Ginny's shoulders were and how the redhead kept changing from foot to foot. "You don't have to worry, there's no reason to be nervous, Ginny."

"Hermione and I are going to have a serious talk about not just our future but the baby. Of course I'm nervous," Ginny said.

"I wouldn't be, especially if she had told my friend that everything was going to be okay," Luna said, smiling slightly.

"She said that? What did she tell you?" Ginny asked quickly.

Luna smiled and looked at the window.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it? You can tell the summer is closer. Would you like some tea?"

"Some cold pumpkin juice would be good, Luna," Ginny replied, knowing she would not get anything out of her friend.

Luna called Gweny and the domestic elf appeared with a low 'pop' sound. The blonde instructed her to bring some cold pumpkin juice for Ginny and some cookies. The elf disappeared and Ginny looked at Luna.

"Any advices?" Asked.

"Since she can't drink tea or coffee, all what Hermione basically drinks is warm milk with honey," Luna replied.

"That's not what I asked."

"I know."

"But still it's good to know." Ginny shrugged.

Gweny reappeared a moment later holding a tray with cold pumpkin juice and cookies.

"Thank you, Gweny." Ginny smiled at the small elf.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Weasley," was all Gweny said and disappeared again.

Ginny grabbed the silver cup of pumpkin juice and took a long sip. She and Luna heard somebody clearing their throats and they saw Hermione standing there awkwardly.

Ginny's breath caught up in her throat. Hermione's clothes were simple but for Ginny she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world. The brunette took Ginny's breath away. Her eyes met Hermione's and the rest of the world disappeared.

Something similar was going inside Hermione's head. She couldn't believe how beautiful Ginny looked. The brunette knew that Ginny tried to look like she hadn't put that much effort in her appearance but Hermione knew that she had.

They didn't even notice Luna leaving the room while giggling like a school-girl.

Hermione walked forward and sat down on the couch in front of the coffee table. The brunette grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite. Ginny watched Hermione for a moment before walking to the couch. The redhead sat down on the other end of the couch and left the now empty cup on the coffee table.

"So…how are you today, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"I'm good, thank you for asking. And you?"

"I'm glad too. Mondays are usually slow in the shop so there wasn't much to do. So I…I brought you something…" Ginny grabbed the box from the table and presented it to Hermione. The brunette eat the rest of her cookie and grabbed the small box.

"You shouldn't have bothered, Ginny," Hermione said.

"Well, it's not exactly for you. It's more…for the baby, actually," Ginny admitted and blushed.

Hermione opened the box and pulled out a stuffed brown owl. The brunette couldn't help to smile as she caressed the soft toy with her fingers and the big yellow eyes. It was almost of the same size as a real owl. Hermione smiled at Ginny.

"Thank you, Ginny. It's beautiful."

"We all have one. My mom and dad, they bought one for every one of their children. This one is similar to my own and if you…" Ginny pulled out her wand and touched the stuffed owl's head. The toy instantly started singing a sweet lullaby." It sings. "Ginny touched the head with her wand again and the toy stopped.

"It's beautiful, Ginny, so beautiful." Hermione's smile grew bigger. "Thank you."

"I just thought that since it's tradition in my family to buy one every time that…I thought that it would be a good idea, I mean, I don't even know if…but I just…" Ginny sighed, frustrated that apparently, she couldn't speak. This was Hermione, for Merlin's sake, she could always talk to Hermione…but again, the other girl being Hermione made it all extra scary…

Hermione's heart broke a little at hearing Ginny's voice. The redhead never got this nervous: she was confident and didn't get nervous, she always kept it cool. Hermione reached out and placed her hand on top of Ginny's. The redhead's head shot up and looked at her, surprised.

"Finish the phrase, please," Hermione asked and looked at her with pleading eyes. There was no time to be collected and rational Hermione, although she had never needed to be when she was with Ginny.

Ginny looked at her and nodded.

"It's tradition to give one to every expectant mother. Mom and dad got one for every one of us. Bill got one for Victoire when Fleur was pregnant. They're un-breakable, by the way. So I thought that it was a good tradition to…continue with our baby." Ginny lowered her head and frowned slightly. "But it was a stupid idea because I don't even know if it's going to be OUR baby."

"Ginny, I'm sorry got what I said that other night. I didn't mean to be such…a bitch." Ginny looked surprised at hearing Hermione use that word. "I was upset and…it's no excuse for my behavior. It was unfair to you."

"What are you saying, then?" Ginny asked and looked up. Her eyes met Hermione's once again and the redhead noticed how Hermione hadn't let go of her hand, making her poor heart to start racing inside her chest.

"I'm saying that I want you to be part of the baby's life. I didn't men what I said before, this is OUR baby. Even if things don't work out between us-"

"They will. Hermione, I know you can't see it, but we're perfect for each other. And I'll show you that we are."

"Still, Ginny, although I reckon that both of us will do our best… IF things don't work out between us, I still want you to be part of the baby's life. You're the mother of this baby too, after all."

Ginny smiled and sighed relieved. Although she felt confident because she knew Hermione, she still felt the pang of doubt in her gut telling her that there was a chance that Hermione may not want her in the baby's live…

"You have no idea… No idea how happy you just made me, Hermione," Ginny said, happiness pouring out with every word.

"Did you honestly believe that I would deny you to be part of your son's or daughter's life?" Hermione asked and Ginny could see a flash of hurt in the brunette's eyes.

"I know you and I knew you wouldn't. But you have to understand, Hermione, that I had my doubts too. The way you've stated that the baby was yours and not ours…"

"That wasn't fair." Hermione shook her head. "I wasn't fair to you. I know you wouldn't say that you want this baby and that you love me if you didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"Hermione, it's okay. I understand that you were upset, I do. And about us…I get it. You want and need a partner who CAN and IS ready to commit, to you and the baby. I want to be with you and our baby, I really do and I'm ready to do this. Okay, maybe I'm not exactly ready to be a mother, but hey, who's ready the first time, right? But I'm going to show you that I can be the partner you need."

"I need to be sure…now I can't make rushed decisions anymore, I have to think about what is best for our baby now."

"I understand, I do." After a moment of silence, Ginny cleared her throat. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Not working for the Ministry was a rushed decision?" Ginny understood why she hadn't wanted to work in the Ministry but had always wondered if Hermione ever regretted that decision.

"Not exactly…and yes. But things were a chaos back then, I was just…too tired to put myself in all that. I needed to rest, to have some sense of…normalcy. I needed to live like a normal witch for a couple of years before I even considered it. Kingsley keeps asking me when I'm going to accept his offer, he wants me to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement or the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but I don't know…Maybe in a couple of years. Right now I want to write and enjoy spending time with my friends…and our baby." Hermione seemed lost in thoughts for a moment and then added. "For once I want to concentrate on living…So no, I don't regret making that decision, if that was what you were wondering."

Ginny laughed. Of course Hermione knew exactly what she wanted to know...

"I understand. I think us all needed that sense of...normalcy after the war and...well, after everything." Ginny nodded.

"Ginny?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you quit playing quidditch?" Hermione had always been truly curious about that, since Ginny had never said anything, not even to her. The redhead always repeated the official story, that she had needed a lot of time to recover from her injure, but Hermione had never believed that. Ginny was a natural for quidditch, it was her great passion, it was her life! So Hermione couldn't understand how Ginny had just quitted.

Suddenly, Ginny looked uncomfortable. The redhead looked down and frowned.

"It just wasn't what I needed anymore," Ginny replied automatically. "You're not the only one who can ditch destiny, Hermione." Ginny let out an amused laugh.

"I didn't ditch anything, Ginevra. I just put it on hold for a few years," Hermione said, not realizing she had called Ginny by her full name. "Do you even regret quitting quidditch?"

"No. I play every weekend with my brothers like we used to when we were kids so I don't regret it at all," Ginny answered.

"But you told no one why you quitted the team," Hermione kept insisting.

"It wasn't what I needed anymore, Hermione," Ginny said.

Hermione nodded, knowing Ginny didn't want to talk about it.

"So, can I tell mom that she's going to be a grandmother again?" Ginny asked.

"You haven't told her already?"

"I did tell her, but now it's official," Ginny said and smiled.

Hermione bit her lower lip.

"She hates me now, doesn't she?"

"No, she doesn't."

"If she thought I was going to deny you our child, therefore denying her of her grandchild, of course she must hate me right now." Hermione frowned. She didn't want Molly to hate her, the older woman was like a surrogate mother and she didn't want to lose that...especially now that she needed that maternal comfort so much...

"No, she doesn't. Hermione, listen to me. Mom doesn't hate you, you're like a daughter to her and she's just worried about us. But she doesn't hate you. She's just worried that we're going to fight or somehow lose our friendship."

"Does she approve of us together?" Hermione asked.

"She's more excited than I am, and that's saying A LOT. When I told her that it was our baby she jumped up and down and almost killed me with the hug she gave me," Ginny joked and they both laughed. "So...there will be an us that she'll need to approve of?" Ginny had noticed how several times Hermione had referred to them being together but she hadn't said anything.

"There will be an us..." Hermione blushed slightly so she cleared her throat and changed the subject. "So she's excited?"

"She is. She's so excited! She's planning a party for Friday night to celebrate with the whole family. And I think some of the members of the Order will be there too," Ginny explained.

"Are you going to tell the others?" Hermione asked.

"That the baby is ours?" Hermione nodded. "If you want to wait, it's okay. We don't have to tell them that right now, we can tell them later...when we know where we stand."

"But they deserve to know, they're your family. I think your brothers will want to know that they're going to have a nephew or niece. Maybe we should tell them."

"And if they ask about us?"

"We can tell them that we're...trying. Testing the waters, I guess."

"Are you sure? Are you sure you'll be able to stand in front of them and tell them? I don't want you to get more stress than necessary," Ginny said.

Hermione smiled slightly at Ginny's concerned tone.

"I'm sure, Ginevra."

Ginny blushed and grinned at hearing Hermione's smooth voice saying her full name. The redhead nodded to herself and looked at their still joined hands. This was right...it felt right...them together...

"Anyway, I must go now. Besides, don't want to crowd you." Ginny finally let go of Hermione's hand, feeling the emptiness right away and missing the contact, and stood up.

Hermione stood up as well.

"Ginny, you're my best friend, you could never crowd me. You could stay a little longer, I'm sure that Luna and Harry won't mind to have you over for dinner. And I wouldn't mind either, of course." Hermione gave her a little hopeful smile. She knew she had said that they had to work, take it slow...but if she was honest, Hermione didn't want her to go just yet.

"Actually, mom promised she'd make my favorite for dinner, so I can't stay. But, walk me to the door?"

Hermione nodded and smiled.

"Maybe you don't want to, or it's soon, but...can I?" Ginny extended her hand. Hermione hesitated but after a few seconds, the brunette extended her hand and laced her fingers together. Ginny smiled.

They walked hand in hand all the way to the door in silence. None of them said anything, but they were both feeling like sixteen years old, all giddy and making goo-goo eyes at each other. They both knew that going slow was going to a torture for them...

"So..." Ginny opened the door and stood there, with a feet out on the steps. "I'll see you later? Or we can see each other on Friday night, which would be okay too." Ginny didn't want to push Hermione.

"Maybe it's a good idea to see each other on Friday night, Ginny," Hermione said and bit her lip again. It drove Ginny insane to watch her biting her lip, so she avoided looking at her. She didn't want to kiss her and have Hermione get mad at her, no matter how hard was sometimes for Ginny to control herself.

"That's okay too, no problem." Ginny gave her a small smile. "So I'll see you on Friday."

"I'll see you on Friday, Ginevra."

Ginny brought up their joined hands and kissed the back of Hermione's hand.

"Have a good evening, my love."

Ginny let go of Hermione's hand, walked a few steps and spun on her heels. One seconds later, she wasn't there anymore. Hermione closed the door and rested her forehead against the cold surface. The brunette sighed and bit her lower lip. She could have kissed Ginny when she called her 'my love.'

Hermione went back to the living room and sat down on the couch. The brunette grabbed the stuffed owl Ginny had bought for their baby and hugged it close to her chest. Hermione laid down on the comfy couch and placed one of her hands over her still flat belly...Only a few minutes later, she was fast asleep and dreaming about Ginny.

Ginny entered the kitchen of the Burrow, where she found Molly washing a couple of dishes.

"Hey, mom." Ginny eyed the dishes. "Ronald's here?"

"He's upstairs taking a shower." Molly couldn't stop herself from asking the question she was dying to ask. "So, how did it go?"

Ginny smiled.

"Are you ready to be a grandmother again?" Ginny asked her and Molly squealed like a school-girl.

"Oh, my dear Ginny! That is wonderful!" Molly dried her hands with on her apron and hugged her daughter.

"It is, mom, it is...I'm so happy..."

Molly pulled away and looked at the magical clock. The needle that belonged to Arthur indicated that he was still at work.

"And what about you two?" Molly asked.

"We're going slow, but we were okay. We're going to be okay," Ginny replied firmly.

"That is wonderful news, Ginny dear."

"By the way, you have to plan a party for Friday night."

"I already sent the invitations, dear." Molly smiled.

A/N 1:: Hey, guys, that was the Chapter! I hope you liked it! Thank you ALL who review the last Chapter.

A/N:: I guess that most of you noticed that I left the detail of Bellatrix marking Hermione with her knife...I wasn't going to do that, but I have this REALLY cool scene where Hermione and Ginny talk about Hermione and her scars and the real reason WHY Ginny quitted playing quidditch.