Sadly, it looked like Ginny was going to lose a bet for the very first time. Hermione and Ron had been back from their honeymoon for nearly a week, and as far as they knew, there was no sign of Hermione losing it. Ginny was very agitated. She had never wanted Hermione to lose her temper so much. But, it didn't look like she was going to happen. It looked like Ron was being a good husband. She was definitely not looking forward to giving Harry three Galleons.

Ginny was in the kitchen with Lavender (who was strangely eating a bowl of cheese. That's right. A bowl of cheese.), looking at the baby clothes that she had just helped her buy.

"I can't believe we just bough clothes for baby girls," Ginny said, looking at a bright pink babygro. "Are you sure it's a girl, Lavender?"

"Trust me on this, Ginny!" Lavender said, wisely, looking at the bib with pink pigs on it. "I can sense these things! And you are having a girl, just like I did! I can tell!"

"How?"

"I can just sense it! You give off the aura that you are having a girl! And I saw it in the crystal ball!" Ginny rolled her eyes. Lavender had always been into Divination, and she was shocked when she realized that she hadn't done much of it since she left Hogwarts. So, since a couple of weeks ago, she had been turning into a little Professor Trelawney.

"Yeah, but still," Ginny said, uncertainly. "We should have bought a few boys clothes just in case."

"You won't need them, Ginny! Trust me! If you have a boy, I will personally pay you all the money you need to buy boy's clothes. How does that sound?"

"Well, alright then," Ginny replied, reassured at last. "And I suppose that some of the stuff we bought are unisex, like the cot for instance." She took another look at the sky-blue cot with suns, rainbows and clouds painted all over it.

"Yes, exactly." As she said this, Harry Apparated into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, puzzledly, starting to slice up kiwis. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I was," Harry replied, opening the fridge and peering in. "I'm just here for lunch. Hi Lavender."

"Hi Harry," Lavender said. "How's your job at the Ministry going?"

"Really well, thanks. Actually, I'm getting my own office now."

"Really?" Ginny said, looking up from the inflatable sheep. "That's brilliant, Harry!"

"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of that office. Paul has really bad BO."

"Ew," Lavender grimaced. Harry suddenly thought of something.

"Ginny! Tomorrow the week will be over! You know what that means!"

"I know! I know! But you never know, a lot of things can happen in a day! So don't let your head inflate yet!" Lavender had to laugh.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I just find it really funny that you're betting against your best friend's, and in Ginny's case older brother's, marriage. Suddenly there was a loud crack. Dean had just appeared in their kitchen. They hadn't seen him since Ron and Hermione's wedding so they were all very happy to see him.

"Hi Dean!" Ginny said, beaming. "How are you?"

"Hey mate," Harry smiled.

"Sit down!" Lavender insisted. "Have some cheese!"

"Errm..no thanks," Dean answered, looking at the bowl of sliced up cheddar oddly. "Guys, I came to tell you that Luna's in labour!"

"What?" Ginny said, so in shock that she threw the knife she was using for the kiwis up in the air and it was so close to landing on her palm, but Harry slickly and rapidly drew out his wand and pointed it at the sharp knife. Ginny caught the light, plastic thing in her hand.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, holding up the transparant, semi-circle object.

"It's a protractor," Harry said.

"A what?" Ginny asked.

"A protractor," Harry repeated.

"What the hell is a protractor?" Ginny asked, turning it between her fingers.

"A protractor is an instrument with a graduated arc used for plotting or measuring angles." Ginny stared at her for a few seconds, then looked back at Harry.

"In English please, Harry?"

"It's a kind of thing that Muggles use to measure the angles of shapes in Maths."

"What's maths?"

"It's a Muggle subject where they learn how to use numbers, shapes and formulas and stuff."

"Weird," Ginny muttered. "That's so random, Harry! Of all things, why did you choose to turn the knife into a protractor?"

"I don't know! It was the first thing that came into my head!

"Hello!" Dean said, suddenly. "While you guys are having your stupid discussion about protractors, my wife is having a baby!"

"Sorry Dean!" Ginny said, shooting out of her chair and dropping the protractor. "Let's go!" All four of them all held hands to Apparate to St Mungo's.

"Wait!" Lavender suddenly yelled, removing her hands and running back to the kitchen table.

"What?" Dean enquired, urgently.

"Forgot my cheese!" Lavender replied, grabbing the bowl full of cheddar. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Do you really need that?" Dean asked, exasperatingly.

"Don't question the needs of a woman, Dean!" Lavender stated. Dean looked at Harry.

"Seriously, don't ask," he advised him. Dean shrugged and reconnected the bond and they all Apparated.

They landed in the maternity waiting room that Ginny had seen Healer McCabe a month ago.

"Wait a second," Ginny started. "Isn't Luna like a month early?"

"It's Luna," Dean answered, simply. "Do you really think she's going to have the baby on the predicted date?"

"True," Ginny answered. Dean led the way towards the reception desk. A woman with dark brown hair and thick glasses looked up at them.

"Luna Lovegood please," he said, clearly.

"Relation?" the receptionist enquired, in a bored, monotonous voice.

"I'm her husband," Dean answered.

"Right, you can go on through. Not you lot!" she added, as Ginny, Harry and Lavender attempted to follow him.

"Mrs Thomas is in seriousYou have to have some sort of relation or reason to go into her room."

"Look here," Harry said, almost threateningly. "I'm an Auror." He took his badge out of his pocket and showed it to her briefly. She simply raised an eyebrow.

"Harry, how is that a good reason?" Ginny asked, exasperatingly.

"I don't know!" he replied. "It was worth a try!"

"Look," Ginny said. "I am one of Luna's best friends, and I'm also going to have a baby. So this will be of lots of help for me and it will prepare me for what will happen in the next six months."

The receptionist was silent for a minute. Then she finally agreed. "You can go in!"

"Yes!" Ginny said. "Thank you!"

"And you?" she said, turning to face Harry again.

"I'm her husband," Harry replied. "I have to be with her."

"Wait a minute!" the receptionist exclaimed, lowering her glasses and peering at Harry's forehead. "You're Harry Potter! Why didn't you say so before? Go right in, Mr Potter!"

Harry smiled and stepped towards Ginny and Dean.

"And you?" the receptionist asked Lavender.

Lavender thought hard. "Cheese?" she offered, finally.

The receptionist raised her other eyebrow to match the first one.

"OK, I'm Luna's friend." Lavender said. "I went to school with her."

"I'm sure you did. Please take a seat, Miss.."

"Mrs. Finnegan. And I really did go to school with her! I promise!"

"Even so. That's not a good enough reason and you're not a relation to Mrs Thomas so please take a seat."

"Please? Listen, I've just had a baby. I can be of some help to Luna. I have a six month old baby!" The receptionist seemed to waver.

"Come on!" Lavender prompted. "Do you really want to have a crazy lady sitting in the waiting room eating cheese?" The receptionist hesitated some more.

"If you don't let me in I will stay at this desk. I will never leave your side. I will be practically glued to this-"

"Go right in," the receptionist said, quickly.

"Oh, thanks!" Lavender said, as she followed Dean, Ginny and Harry. When they arrived outside Luna's room, they expected to come into a room filled with the sound of the Healer yelling directions and the sound of Luna's loud sobs and yells. But when Dean opened the door, it was so quiet and serene.

"And...here it is!" the doctor said. His remark was immediately joined by shrill cries. It was a baby.

"Just in time," Luna said, calmly. Ginny gaped at her. She wasn't even red.

"Wow!" she said, in what looked like relief. "Is it always that easy?"

"Not usually," the Healer replied.

"Luna's just weird," Lavender whispered. "It wrecked when I had Poppy. I thought I was going to explode. But don't worry, Gin! You'll be fine!"

"Congratulations, Luna!" Ginny said, putting a brave face on and rushing towards her and Dean. "Oh my! It's a girl!"

"Yeah," Luna said. "We're thinking of names. What about Trixibelle?"

"No," Dean said, firmly.

"Griseldinia?" Luna suggested again.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Brighton?"

"That's a place, Luna," Harry said.

"I know. But it's a nice place."

"Yeah. So's Barcelona," Lavender said. "Are you going to call your baby that?"

"Ooohh.."

"NO!" they all exclaimed, simultaneously.

Suddenly, Hermione and Ron came rushing in.

"Hi!" Luna said.

"How did you guys know to come?"

"I wrote Ron a letter to tell the Minister I was here," Harry explained. "and I told him to come to the hospital as soon as he could."

"And I went and got Hermione before I left," Ron finished.

"How did you get past that assistant?" Lavender asked.

"Oh, I told her that we were Luna's parents and then I put the Confundus charm on her so that she'd forget in case Luna's father came," Hermione said.

"Impressive," Lavender replied. "Or you could've just said that you were pregnant and you thought this would be a good experience to learn from."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, abruptly. "I'm not pregnant! Why would I say I was pregnant? What are you talking about, Lavender?"

"Ok, chill out!" Lavender replied, looking puzzled. "I know you're not pregnant! I'm just saying you should've said you were because it would've been a good excuse!"

"But I'm not pregnant, so why would I say that?"

"OK, Hermione! You didn't have to! Just calm down!"

"Sorry," Hermione said, simmering down a little. "Just a stressful day."

"Are you OK?" Ron asked her.

"Yes Ron! I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be fine? I've just said I was fine, didn't I?"

"OK, sorry! And no, you didn't actually!"

Well, since when do you listen so intently?"

"O..K.." Ron said. "Do you want to just get some coffee or something?"

"Fine," Hermione agreed, disgruntledly. "Sorry, Luna. We'll be back in a minute."

"Whoa!" Lavender said, once they'd left the room. "T.O.M. or what?"

"Who's Tom?" Ginny asked.

"No, not Tom," Lavender sighed. "T.O.M. Time Of the Month." Ginny and Harry laughed.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Hermione just lost it! Weird!"

"Yeah, Harry!" Ginny said, giving Harry a delighted look. "Hermione did just lose it, didn't she? And she and Ron have been married, what, not even a week yet!"

"I know," Harry said, holding up a hand. "I know."

"So, we're still deciding on names," Luna said suddenly, as if nothing had happened. "What about Tinkerbell?"

"No, Luna!" Dean laughed.

"Well you said you wanted intellectual names!" Luna argued. "And I got that name from a book!"

"Was that book called Peter Pan, by any chance?" Dean asked.

"It might've been," Luna answered.

"Sorry Luna. But we are no naming our daughter after a pixie."

"Why not?" Lavender asked. "Pixies are cool!"

"No," Dean said again. "What about Rebecca?"

"Boring," Lavender replied. "Not original enough."

"Jenny," Ginny said.

"No," Luna said. "Not interesting at all."

"Lemonada?" Luna suggested.

"Way too interesting," Harry said.

"What about Patsy?" Lavender asked.

"Too little girly," Ginny replied.

"Ginny, what baby are you looking at ?" Lavender enquired.

"I know she's a little girl for now! But what about when she grows older and she's a 23 year old woman called Patsy Thomas? That doesn't really fit."

"OK, I see what you mean," Lavender admitted, reluctantly. "Why don't you choose a scent name like mine? Like Echinacea?" Dean laughed, but Luna took her seriously.

"I like that," she said.

"No Luna," Dean said, for the fiftieth time.

"I really want a pretty name, Dean," Luna said.

"So do I," Dean said.

"What about..." Luna started. Then a light bulb suddenly lit up inside her head. "Ella," she finished. Everyone thought about it.

"Ella," Dean repeated. "I like that. Actually, I really like that!"

"Me too!" Ginny said!"

"It's a really pretty name!" Lavender said.

"I like it," Harry agreed.

"How did you think of that, Luna?" asked Dean.

"Well, my friend, Melissa, has a dog called Bella. And then that made me think of Ella, and I realized that I liked the name so..."

"Well then, thank Melissa and Bella!" Dean said.

"I can't. They live in Killiney in Dublin and Bella always snaps at me when she sees me," Luna replied, seriously.

Everyone thought it was best not to answer.

"So, Ella it is?" Dean asked.

"Ella it is," Luna replied. "And shall we make Melissa her middle name?"

"That's a good idea," Dean replied.

Hermione and Ron came back in with cups of coffee and Hermione looked much better.

"Hi guys!" she saud. "I'm so sorry about before, Lavender. I've just had a very long, stressful day."

"It's OK, Hermione," Lavender said, graciously.

"So, did you decide on a name?" Ron asked.

"So, did you decide on a name?"

"Yep," Dean said, holding Ella. "Ella Melissa Thomas."

"Aww, that's so pretty!" Hermione said.

After about twenty minutes, Luna proved that she and the baby were in a perfectly fit state to return home, so the gang walked out of the Maternity Ward in St Mungo's, all cooing at baby Ella and Harry discreetly slipping three Galleons into Ginny's hand, as she grinned delightedly.