2.

"Hermione! Ssshhhhh!" Ginny hissed, her eyes darting in various directions around the muggle coffee shop they were currently sitting in.

Hermione had squealed loudly at Ginny's news, jumping up animatedly and rushing around the small, circular, dark wood table they were occupying, to hug her friend.

"You know," Hermione began, a smile plastered across her face as she spoke, "I suspected that there might be a tiny chance last week…" The witch trailed off, a knowing look on her face, though her smile had diminished none.

"You did not!" Ginny gasped, "I didn't even suspect last week so there's not a chance you did. Brightest witch or not!"

Hermione said nothing, but took a sip coffee from a large, wide rimmed mug, leaving a small layer of foam atop her upper lip. The brunette brushed it away with the back of her hand, a trademark Hermione perceptive look returning after she did.

"So how is my dear brother?" Ginny asked, taking a sip of her own coffee, a decaf.

"Oh, never mind him," Hermione answered, "How is Harry? I bet he's thrilled."

"He's…" Ginny began, unsure how to put her thoughts, or perhaps a more accurate descriptor would be worries,"I don't know." She added meekly. Hermione frowned slightly, clearly pondering her friend's indirect answer.

"He's not acting excited, is he?" Hermione asked, after a long pause.

Ginny gulped, the acknowledgement of Hermione's words hammering the fact she'd been trying to avoid home. The flame-haired witch gripped her coffee, feeling her hands shake slightly as she internally begged her emotions not to get the better of her. Not trusting herself to speak, Ginny fleetingly shook her head, feeling tears begin to pool in her eyes.

She felt Hermione's hand grip hers as the brunette leaned across the table. Ginny took deep breaths through her nose and tipped her head back slightly, consciously blinking more than was required, the thought of crying in such a public setting not a particularly pleasant one.

Ginny felt Hermione's thumb run small circles over the back of her hand, and found herself more grateful than she ever had to have such a loyal friend in her life.

"I think," Hermione began, "I might know why Harry doesn't seem as happy as you'd expect him to be, and I don't think it has anything to do with you...or the baby." She paused long enough to hand Ginny a tissue before she continued, "I can talk to him if you like, but try not to think about it too much. I think this is entirely to do with Harry's own childhood."

Ginny swallowed, nodding her head, finding a small amount of hope and comfort in Hermione's words. "I don't know that much about his childhood," Ginny said, her voice low. "He doesn't like talking about it at the best of times, but it's sometimes like he has this mental block in place about telling me anything."

Hermione sighed, "I know. And honestly, I wish he would open up to you about it more, I think it's ultimately an issue of pride. You've seen him broken in more ways than he'd like and he likes to be the stronger one. I believe, the way he was raised, by those dreadful people," she added, a snap in her voice as she did, "makes him feel a kind of damaged he doesn't want to trouble you with."

"That's insane, Hermione. He isn't damaged." Ginny countered, before taking stock to think over Hermione's words, how little had Harry told her about his childhood? "Is he?" She asked in a whisper, feeling tears threatening to spill all over again, this time for an entirely different reason.

Hermione said nothing, her eyes focussed entirely on the mug in front of her. She encircled her hands around its circumference before looking up at Ginny once more, "They were terrible to him, I don't think Ron or I even know everything. Honestly, I think he probably carries more mental scars from his childhood than he has on his physical body."

Ginny took a while to answer, she had tried to engage the subject more than once, Harry almost always brushing the matter off, as though unimportant. She known he'd been made to sleep in a cupboard, this was something the Weasley's had all known for years, and she knew he often was left out of family outings and got very little in the way of birthday or Christmas presents. That had all been bad enough, Ginny thought. Was it really much worse? The question at the forefront of her mind as she took another drink from her coffee mug, the subject of her and Hermione's conversation made the hot drink taste sour in her mouth as she recalled various points over their relationship that she'd uncovered a small snippet of the life Harry had led before Hogwarts and the way he had always dismissed her questions entirely.

Ginny sighed, looking, but not quite seeing the quantity of brown liquid currently sloshing in her mug.

"Do you think he'll talk to me?" The redhead finally asked.

"I think he'll realise, if he hasn't already, that the time has come for him to, yes. I can speak to him, like I said, if you prefer, but I think it really has to be you."

Ginny nodded, knowing Hermione was right, as always, she thought with the hint of a smile.

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Of course." The brunette witch answer, she offered her friend a wide, comforting smile before venturing her next question, "Can we please please please start talking about names?"

Ginny laughed in spite of herself, Hermione always knew how to cheer her up. She just hoped she would be able to convince her husband to open up her her further.

"Yes! So, since I lost Arnold, I'd quite like to honour his memory."

"I sincerely hope you're joking, Ginny Potter. Because I will not allow you to name my future nephew - or niece, after a Pygmy Puff!"

"If it's a girl, she could be Arnole." Ginny answered, feigning a look of sincerity and trying to avoid laughing at Hermione's look of utter horror.