I don't own any part of the Harry Potter franchise and all rights belong to J.K. Rowling and co. (Right? Right.)

It was the holidays and we were being forced off work for an entire work week and change, starting with December twenty-third and ending January third. Of course, many of the aurors would still be on call throughout the holiday, but for members of the ministry such as myself, and quidditch players such as Ginny, we had time to spare. Especially since I'd taken an extra few days past the New Year so that I could spend some time with my own parents. They'd been good enough to agree to stay home this year, rather than flitting off to France or Spain for the break as we so often had when I was growing up; and I intended to show them how grateful I was by having cozy chats with my dad and knitting baby clothes with my mum.

Not that my mum knit baby clothes, but she'd been trying to learn, at least. Especially once she'd found out at my visit in mid-November that I was already four months along. I'd felt bad about shocking her that way, and not telling her sooner, but she'd tut-tutted while my dad had glowered and shaken his newspaper judgmentally. She'd had the practicality to point out that at least I was seeing a nice wizard, father-questions or not, and I was relatively well-off and had a good job with benefits as well. My dad, well…he'd been a little slower to warm up to the idea, but even he'd sounded pleased I was coming for New Year's, even if Ron was joining us for a day, too.

But before I went home for a lovely break, I had a week of Christmas between the burrow and home and assorted friends' flats to think of; in addition to needing to speak with Astoria Greengrass, who, as it turned out, was very hard to get a hold of; not to mention I still hadn't done all my Christmas shopping.

Ginny looked appalled. "Hermione! You didn't wait until Christmas Eve-eve to buy your presents!"

I shrugged and dug about in my freezer. "I was busy. Work, office parties, dates, appointments…ah ha! There you are!" I reemerged from the freezer with a tub of peanut-butter swirl ice cream. "Fancy a dish?" I asked Ginny brightly as I pried the lid off.

"Well…alright," she agreed and set James down to toddle about. I was five months along, Ginny was about five and a half. I was definitely showing more. "It's the quidditch," she responded around a spoonful of the ice cream when she noticed my staring. "I can't help it. My thin frame, plus all that exercise. You know."

"I know," I replied glumly and began eating right out of the tub.

"Look, about Christmas shopping. Do you want to go tomorrow?"

It was the evening of the twenty-second and I'd gotten off work early, as everyone had. Ginny had come straight over with her own presents to have a wrapping and girls' night session. Luna wouldn't be joining us for this one; she was already on vacation with her wonderful husband, somewhere north and east of us. Mongolia, we suspected, but couldn't be sure. Her letters were always extremely vague. She claimed they were Burly-dock hunting. It was a very romantic winter activity, she'd told us, as one had to strip naked and run about in the snow for twenty minutes at a time to attract them. Ginny and I had laughed and gone in on a bottle of good scotch for her, just to make sure they had something to keep each other warm.

"I did buy some things already," I responded indignantly. "It's not like I left everything to tomorrow."

"I know," Ginny replied. "I helped you wrap some items already. So, tomorrow, then?"

"Yes, please," I answered. Ginny began dipping into the carton with me. I battled her spoon for a minute before I asked my other question. "And I have a meeting with someone tomorrow, as well. Do you…would you mind coming with me?"

Ginny ceded the ice cream to me and sat back, still licking her spoon. "I can do that. Who's it with?"

I hemmed and hawed for a minute before glancing back up. "Astoria Greengrass. Her sister finally agreed to arrange a meeting for me, since I couldn't get in touch with her, myself."

"She wouldn't answer your owls, you mean," Ginny replied darkly. Ron and I had kept her and Harry apprised of the situation and neither of them liked it at all; though Harry had taken the whole thing pretty well. He'd calmed down quite a bit since school and the war- gotten almost philosophical about life.

"I imagine she's still hurting over-" I began, but Ginny cut me off.

"Stop making excuses for her. I don't care how hurt she is. It's inexcusable, what she did with that Jennet. What does she want from you, anyway? You told Malfoy off, didn't you? She has no reason for what she did. None at all."

"Ok, ok," I responded and shoved the ice cream back her way. "So you'll come with me?"

"Of course," Ginny said, still fuming a bit. "I just said I would."

"I mean you'll come with me and not take her head off before I get a chance to talk with her."

Ginny sighed and held out a spoonful to James, who squealed with delight and tried to smear the ice cream all over his face.

"I guess I could keep my wand hand down for the duration," she finally said.

"Good. Thank you," I responded. The relief I felt was gone as quickly once I saw an ice-cream smeared James making his way out to my living room.

"No! Catch him!" I shrieked and Ginny and I laughed and stumbled over one another on our way to save my furniture from certain stained doom.

The next day, hands laden with shopping bags and packages, Ginny and I showed up at Daphne's house- a beautifully kept cottage in a development outside London.

Daphne didn't look happy when she opened the door to us, but she didn't look upset, either. Her expression was one of indifference, really…bordering on hopefulness. I gave her an inquisitive look, but she turned away before I could say anything.

"This way," she murmured, leading us down the entry hall. I held up one of the bags.

"I brought some refreshments," I offered. "Thank you for hosting us today."

Daphne turned and took the package. I could tell she was surprised- touched, even. "Thank you," she said softly. She looked back up at the two of us suddenly. "Why didn't you leave your things in the car?"

Ginny and I glanced at one another. "We apparated," she said. Daphne nodded.

"Do you want to set your things down? I don't have any pets- you could leave them on the hall table."

We agreed to that and set out stuff down; and after that Daphne took our coats.

"Come on in," she finally said. She was still acting a little nervous, as if she wanted to delay the meeting. But then a voice called from the room whose door she was blocking and it was all over.

"Daphne? Where'd you go-"

Astoria broke off immediately once Ginny and I stepped past Daphne and into the charming parlor. Funnily, her appearance to us had the opposite effect. Ginny and I began speaking at the same time.

"Just tell us what you think you're-"

"You're pregnant!"

Needless to say, my observation shut Ginny up pretty fast. It also caused Astoria to burst into tears and run off into the next room. Daphne followed her and Ginny and I took seats in the parlor to wait, albeit awkwardly.

"I can't believe she's pregnant," Ginny murmured.

"Can't believe a Malfoy could get someone pregnant?" I asked and she raised a brow.

"No, just…why wouldn't she say something?"

"From what I understand," I responded, "she was very hurt and upset by Draco's charade with me. And she's very proud."

"And stubborn, don't forget that," came a newly subdued voice and Ginny and I glanced up to see Astoria drifting back into the room, Daphne herding her along. Ginny pursed her lips and I tried to smile encouragingly. Things suddenly seemed much clearer to me. After a minute or two of continued silence, I finally spoke up.

"You don't have to say anything right now," I began. "In fact, it's probably better if you don't. Let me see if I can spell everything out and then you can tell me if I'm wrong…but I don't think you will." Astoria looked up at me with big, hurt cow eyes and I resisted the urge to sigh and pat her on the knee.

"You are in love with Draco, who is deluded about whom he loves. Now, you found out about his-" I coughed- "liaison with me and could have forgiven that, but then you found out about my pregnancy. And since you are pregnant, yourself, you decided you couldn't live with him having another child in his life besides yours, because, well, you're Slytherin and young and stupid."

Daphne glared at me and looked like she was about to say something, but Astoria actually put a hand on her sisters shoulder and shook her head.

"Go on," she said coolly.

I nodded. "The real problem arises when you find out- through your sister and others- that I have solidly told Draco off, but he still won't stop mooning about me. And trust me," I added, "I have told him off. He knows full well that he doesn't stand a chance with me. So, once you found out about that and he still hadn't come back to you, you decided you'd better pay someone off to cause trouble with me and Ron. I still haven't figured why you did that- either you decided you wanted his happiness and if you couldn't have him, then maybe you would push us together."

Everyone except me snorted derisively at that and I smiled. "I didn't think so. So, you were trying to make a two-fold point. You hoped Draco would find out about Jennet and Ron and when I still stayed with Ron, he would finally, truly get the point. Also, it would cause me some personal grief and you're a vindictive woman."

Astoria burst into tears again and nodded.

"But," I murmured, leaning forward and placing a hand on her knee, "you're also a scared, hurt woman."

Astoria didn't say anything, just continued sobbing and nodding. Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. Daphne glared at both of us.

"Stop glaring at me," I sniffed. "She needed the truth pointed out. She's being silly. I don't care how many hormones she's dealing with; at least she knows who the father of her baby is and it's a man she loves. So stop giving me grief."

Daphne sighed too. "I know, I'm sorry. Thank you for coming over. I haven't been able to bring myself give her tough love. She's my baby sister, after all."

Astoria sat up and frowned, wiped her cheeks. "Fine. So I'm being silly. I know it. But I just don't know what else to do! He won't call, or floo, or owl-"

"Astoria," I said very slowly, "does he even know you're pregnant?"

She shook her head and gave a few mournful little sighs. "No. But I don't want that to be the only reason he comes back! He should want me for me! I deserve that, too," she argued, then fell silent.

"Yes, but he has the right to know you're pregnant, and to decide what to do from there."

"Not that half-hearted Draco is any better than no Draco," Ginny grumbled. "I'd just kick him to the curb, if I were you. He's such a ponce."

Astoria began crying again and I smacked Ginny's arm. She rolled her eyes again.

"I, uh- I'll put on some water for cocoa," Daphne said then and got up. Ginny stood up too.

"I'll help," she said and Daphne looked at her strangely, shrugged, and the two left. I looked back at Astoria.

"Look, you have to tell him. He has a right to know."

She sniffled some more, wiped her cheeks again. "I know! I just…I was hoping so hard…"

"You don't know how he'll react until you give him a chance to find out."

She looked up at me and reached over, took my hands in her damp, snotty ones. "Would you help me? Write a letter, I mean?"

I closed my eyes for a brief second of peace, thought very hard, very quickly, and nodded.

"Ok. I'll help."

Astoria's face broke into a teary smile and I suddenly saw what Draco must have seen, once. When she smiled, she didn't look anything like me, but she did look quite pretty. It was a beautiful smile, even as covered in tears and handkerchiefs as it was right then. I squeezed her hands.

"We'll fix this," I offered and her smile faded into a smaller, less certain one. "I promise."

"I heard about how you told him off the other day," she responded suddenly and I pulled away.

"Oh?"

"Yes," she said. "I think it's brilliant. I wish I could be more like you. Maybe he-"

"Don't think that way," I said firmly. "Standing up for yourself is a good improvement to make, but don't think that way. He'll see you for the wonderful witch you are."

She smiled again. "You think so?"

"Oh, yes," I said. "Because if he doesn't I will tear him limb from limb."

Astoria laughed. "Thank you, Hermione. I'm so sorry about everything- Daphne coming to you, Draco, Jennet- can you forgive me?"

I patted her knee again. I still wasn't feeling great about the situation, but at least I had some answers…and it was clear that even though I though Astoria had the upper hand in her pregnancy, she was not nearly as confident about her state as I was. Daphne had been doing her best with her, but as she didn't have a steady date and had never been pregnant, she wasn't giving Astoria all the support she needed.

"I'm sure I will someday," I replied. "For now, let's just work on that letter and pretend none of it happened. How does that sound?"

"Lovely, at the moment," she admitted.

And that was how Ginny, Daphne, Astoria and I became friends, much to the dismay of our mutual partners and families.