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"So he really thinks he can open the apothecary in three months?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded before taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "He seems to think so. We spent all of last weekend casting cleaning spells on the place, although we had to scrub some areas the muggle way. The floor was just filthy."

"How long did the cleanup take?"

"We worked on it for three days, nearly ten hours a day, but you'll need to subtract the time we took for lunch, roughly an hour and fifteen minutes, and then there's dinner…"

Ginny chuckled. "Only you would keep track of how long you ate down to the minute."

"Maybe," Hermione sighed. "They were rather pleasant meals."

"Did you order out?"

"Yes," Hermione admitted. Ginevra laughed. "But they were from my favorite muggle restaurants!"

"Really?" Ginevra asked with interest.

"Yes. I'd been craving McDonald's forever, and he finally broke down and bought me a Big Mac," Hermione answered.

Ginny stared at her in confusion. "It's a special kind of muggle hamburger. Just talking about one makes me hungry."

"So those are the infamous cravings," Ginny mused.

"You'll feel them soon enough," Hermione assured her.

"As long as I'm not changing my request every five minutes I think Draco will be fine," Ginny answered.

"Well prepare him, because your cravings can change like that. It's already happened to me three times. The last time Severus just handed me a burrito and told me to ask the elves if I wanted anything else."

Ginny laughed again. "Did you make it up to him?"

"Of course I did."

"How?"

Hermione gave her a look of mock horror. "Ginny, what makes you think I'd divulge those secrets?"

"Ooh!" she cooed.

Hermione shook her head as she smiled. "Did you enjoy making it up to him?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, how do you like being pregnant?" Hermione asked.

"I love throwing up every morning, now tell me about you and Severus. I'm dying to hear this!"

Before Hermione could think of a way to change the subject, the waitress came over and announced, "Here is your order, ladies."

"Thank you," they chimed in unison as she set their plates on the table. Hermione had ordered chicken parmesan while Ginevra had ordered a generous helping of tortellini. The waitress left, leaving the friends to savor their food in relative silence.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Yes?' Hermione answered.

"When you found out about your pregnancy, were you scared?" Ginny asked.

"Scared about what?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I'm honestly afraid of giving birth. I mean, I don't want to carry this baby indefinitely, but the thought of the whole birth process makes me queasy."

"I haven't really thought much about it," Hermione admitted. "But it's a little late now for second thoughts. I can tell you, however, that if this little girl gets much larger then I'll be more than ready to have her on the outside!"

Ginny chuckled. "I can understand that, but you honestly carry the weight well. You also have that glow."

"You get that in your second trimester. It's due to hormones."

"Oh," Ginny answered, clearly growing uncomfortable.

"I just read that in a book," Hermione replied.

"Well, that explains it!" Ginny answered. "If Hermione Granger can read about it, then she doesn't fear it!"

Hermione joined in Ginny's laughter in spite of herself. After they settled down, Hermione answered, "I like knowing what to expect."

"Yes, but aren't children inherently unpredictable?"

"Yes," Hermione admitted. "That's the only thing that really scares me now about having her. I just fear that somewhere along the line I'll mess up."

"Hermione, all you've done since you became pregnant is think of this child and do whatever you felt was best for her. You'll be a great mother when she's born."

"I tell myself that, but it's still scary to think that you have a life inside of you, a little life you are responsible for molding. I think I'm mostly afraid that she'll make the same mistakes I've made."

"You couldn't predict what happened with Ron, and things turned out alright with Severus, didn't they?"

"Yes, but I don't want my daughter to put herself in the situation I found myself in. I want better for her."

"Well, a man who claims her as his daughter is a good start," Ginny replied.

"Severus has been amazing, and I know he'll be a good father once she's born. He may not want to show it, but I can see in his eyes when he talks to her that he adores her already."

"Wait, he talks to your baby?"

"We both do," Hermione replied as she felt her daughter kick within her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just having trouble picturing Severus talking to, well…"

"I know, but it's beautiful when he does it," Hermione answered.

"I'm just glad my niece has someone who will care for her. I am still her aunt, aren't I?" Ginny asked.

"You are and always will be," Hermione replied. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good, because I do love my niece," she replied before turning her attention to Hermione's abdomen. "Do you hear that little niece of mine? I love you, and when you're born I'm going to take you shopping and teach you how to dress. After all, we don't want you to dress all in black like your daddy."

"Oh Merlin I'd kill him if she dressed all in black. Still, it may be cute if she had a little matching cape like Severus'…"

"You're kidding," Ginevra groaned.

Hermione laughed at the expression on her friend's face. Ginevra laughed along with her as she meditated further on the image of a baby in Snape's clothing. Surely that was too ridiculous to happen.