"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"
"Where should I be?" Ron asked, looking up at his best friend.
His sister (also his best friend's new wife) scoffed at him. "Gee, I wonder, Ron. Where should you be? Your wife is about to drop and you're over here, drinking tea."
Ron laughed, taking a swig from his cup. "For your information, she was the one who kicked me out of the house. Told me I was hanging around too much and making her angry. Not like she was doing anything anyway."
"Other than the fact that she's carrying your child," Ginny said, pointing her wand at the teapot to steam more water.
"Well, she wouldn't let me stay! I wanted to, but I'd rather have her be able to call me when it happens than kill me so I never see my child!" Ron fought back.
Harry shook his head. "It still feels weird, you know. Ron… you're not supposed to reproduce."
Ron's jaw dropped and Ginny's voice could be heard from the kitchen, "That's an understatement."
"You know, it's a little late to be saying all of this," Ron said, folding his arms across his chest.
"Oh, hush," Ginny said, waving her hand dismissively at her brother. "You know we're just messing around."
"We are," Harry said, ruffling Ron's hair. "We can't wait to see what your kid will be like."
"Do you have any names… yet?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes. It had been a nine-month battle between Ron and Hermione on names for their baby. Neither of them wanted to know the gender, so it was a constant fight about possible names.
"Well, no," Ron sighed. The baby was due in a week and he and his wife had not decided on anything. "Hermione likes the names Daniel, Kyle, Marie, and Lynne. I like the names Andrew, Adam, Frances, and Kate."
Ginny sprawled out on the couch, putting her arms behind her head. "That child is never going to have a chance."
Ron narrowed his eyes warningly at his sister. "I pity your future children, Virginia. Make sure you have enough money saved for extensive psychotherapy."
Harry stopped in the doorway. "What was that?" he asked.
Ron laughed. "You heard me."
"No, in the fireplace."
They all looked up and saw a smoky head appear where Harry had been indicating. It soon took the shape of Hermione's head. Ron leaped up quickly and ran screaming at the mantel. "What is it? What is it? Is it time? Is it time?"
"No, it's not time!" she yelled at him, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Actually, I was going to ask Ginny something. Do you mind?"
"As a matter of fact, I do mind," he said snottily. "I know you too well, Hermione. I'm coming right home."
"Ronald Weasley, if you come home, I'll probably end up murdering you."
"I won't bug you anymore, I promise."
"Please," she said facetiously.
Harry laughed at Ron. "You better stay here, mate. When have we ever known her to hold out on a threat?"
Ron grabbed at the ends of his hair and tugged hard on them, causing them to stick out all over the place. He clenched his teeth and walked out of the room, followed closely by Harry. Ginny looked toward Hermione and frowned. "What is it really?"
Hermione gave her friend a very panicked look. "The contractions have started."
Ginny's eyes widened. "And you LIED to your HUSBAND? What were you thinking?"
"SH! GINNY!" Hermione yelled, looking around to make sure the room was empty. "I didn't want him knowing and freaking out, all right? He's been bothering me the past three days. He watches me like a hawk and it's starting to get on my nerves. Besides, they're just minor contractions."
"Contraction or none, Hermione, you need to get to the hospital. The baby is close enough to being due for you to get a move on."
"You're right, but don't tell Ron."
"You bet you I'm going to tell Ron!"
Hermione sighed. "God, he's going to go completely nutters. Should I Apparate ahead of him?"
Ginny shook her head. "You know what the doctor said, Hermione. You can't Apparate in your condition."
Hermione looked to have stomped her foot in a tantrum-like gesture. "How am I supposed to get there then?"
"How about you wait for your husband to get home and then Floo there?" Ginny asked, frustrated.
"Yeah, yeah, that'll do. I guess you can tell him that I want him home…"
"All right, as long as you promise me that you will go straight to St. Mungo's."
"I promise," Hermione said, waving her off.
"With Ron."
"With Ron," Hermione repeated and disappeared.
Ginny went into the other room and called for Ron. He raced in quickly. "What's going on? What happened? Is it time? Is it time?"
"Hermione wants you to go home."
"I knew it! I just knew it! She lied to me! Ginny, why did she lie to me? Why? WHY?"
Ginny grabbed Ron's face and looked at him. "This is why. She doesn't want you flipping out! She's worried enough as it is, she needs you to keep a level head."
He took a couple deep breaths, grabbed Ginny's hands, and said, "See you at the hospital." He kissed her cheek and Apparated home.
"Hermione?" Ron called, racing toward the bedroom.
"In here," she called back.
He ran in and saw her packing a bag very slowly. "Do you need help, darling?"
She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Yes, I'd love some help. Are you calm?"
"Of course. I love you," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing her head. She leaned into him and sighed. "Ron?"
"Hermione?"
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know, love. I'm scared as well. But I'm also very excited."
Hermione turned around and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm scared, no matter how prepared I think I am."
"I love you. You have nothing to worry about. You're going to be the best mum in the world."
Hermione's face went into shock and pain. Ron rubbed her back. "Time to go?"
She nodded. Ron grabbed her suitcase and took her hand. Within minutes, they were at the hospital. The entire family showed up in a matter of an hour, and Ron was finding it harder to comfort Hermione. He was having serious doubts about his ability to be a father.
A little later in the evening, once Ron had expressed his feelings to his friend and calmed down, the nurse informed him that it was 'show time.' He gave Harry and Ginny the biggest hugs he could manage and raced into straight to Hermione's side.
Why is this always such a good idea at first? he thought frantically, watching the agony on her face and knowing there was nothing he could do about it.
The one hand of Ron's that Hermione didn't have in a death grip was trembling violently. His entire body seemed to be tremulous. Don't wizards and witches have advanced ways for doing this? You'd think they would.
After a long hour of breathing and screaming and crying and worrying, the wait was over. Hermione and Ron had a daughter. Ron took her after the nurses cleaned her off and he stared down at her.
"Hermione," he whispered, leaning over his wife. "I hope you don't get jealous, but it seems I've fallen in love…"
He handed his daughter to Hermione. Her eyes filled with tears. "She's beautiful, Ron. What ever are we going to name her?"
"What names did you like again, love?"
"Well, what names did you like?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it does! It's our daughter!"
Ron looked up and smiled at no one in particular. He loved that even in the midst of something as moving as having a child, he and Hermione still managed to bicker uselessly. He kissed Hermione's hair… that wonderful, beautiful hair that curled and frizzed and was always so much fun to stare at. Everything about Hermione was exquisite. She was exquisite.
"I'd better go tell everyone. We can talk about names later."
Hermione smiled at their daughter and called out to Ron before he could leave the room.
"Yes?"
"I love you very much."
Ron made his way toward her bed again, tipped her chin up to his and met her lips in a captivating kiss. "I love you."
Ron raced out to the lobby, where everyone was anxiously waiting. They jumped up the instant they saw him. He had a huge grin on his face and his eyes were sparkling with a thin mist of tears.
"It's a girl!" he announced.
Every member of the Weasley family threw themselves at Ron. The Grangers were there as well, congratulating Ron and asking when they could see their new granddaughter.
"They've just moved them to a new room, and you should be able to see them shortly. I'm going to go check on her."
Ron turned to leave and Ginny called out, "Have you decided on a name yet?"
He turned back and grinned sheepishly. "We're still in negotiations."
Ginny groaned and Ron raced hurriedly to the room Hermione was in. She was sitting on the bed, gently rocking her daughter and Ron closed the door when he came in. He sat next to Hermione on the bed, kissed her in greeting, and stared at his child.
"She's so innocent," Hermione whispered. "She has so much life in her, so much spirit."
"Oh, you know she has that, with our genes anyway," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I wonder what she'll grow up to be. A teacher? An Auror? A Ministry official?"
"A know-it-all? A stubborn git?"
Hermione laughed whole-heartedly. "She might be both. After all, she's half Granger, half Weasley."
"Well, whatever she is, I'm sure she'll be beautiful. You are her mother."
Hermione sighed, resting her head against Ron's. "I love you, you know?"
"I know."
"Shouldn't we give our daughter a name?"
"Perhaps."
Hermione pulled out her wand and whispered, "Accio." Her suitcase came across the room to them and she opened it up, pulling out a baby name book. Ron rolled his eyes.
"I can't believe you brought a book to the hospital."
"You can never be too prepared. Now, what names did you like?"
"I really love the names Kate and Frances."
"I don't really care for Frances, but Kate isn't too bad. What about Marie?"
Ron took the book from Hermione and skimmed through it. "Don't you think that makes a much better middle name?"
Hermione sighed. "I guess you're right."
Ron laughed. "I think that's the first time you've ever admitted that. Has our daughter softened you, you old steel hearted witch?"
Hermione nudged him gently and went back to reading the book. "Well, her middle name can be Marie. But I really love the name Lynne."
"Lynne's a better middle name as well."
"Doesn't mean I don't like it."
"What about Kate?"
"What about Lynne?"
Ron flipped a few more pages in the book, finding the female K names. He looked through it a little bit and stopped on a name he knew was absolutely perfect. Hermione read over his shoulder and nodded.
"Kaitlyn… it's Celtic… meaning 'pure.' It's beautiful."
"Kaitlyn Marie Weasley. What a ring!"
They stared at Kaitlyn, reveling in the ability she had to capture them in the first few minutes of her life. "She's going to have red hair," Hermione whispered.
"Hermione, please. That's a given. I'd like to see what color her eyes are."
And just as he finished the sentence, Kaitlyn gave a yawn and woke up, blinking at them. Ron's breath caught in his throat, his eyes filled with tears, and he couldn't speak. Hermione looked at her husband and then gently handed Kaitlyn over to him.
He stared at Kaitlyn, completely enamored. "She has my eyes, Hermione. She has my eyes. Can you believe it?"
"It makes the most sense," Hermione said, wiping her eyes. "Your eyes are so beautiful, Ron." He watched his wife rub the ring that she wore on her right hand. It had since lost its power, which was to glow blue whenever he thought about her. She had crafted this ring and one she gave to Ron for Valentine's Day in their sixth year.
"It makes sense for her to have red hair, Hermione… but my eyes? It's amazing. How can you love someone so much that you just met?"
Hermione rested her head on Ron's shoulder. "I don't know, Ron, but I do have one prediction."
Resting Kaitlyn in his arms, he leaned against Hermione. "And that is?"
"With your eyes and your hair, this is bound to be an adventure."
