Has anyone else been on Pinterest? I'm addicted. Like stay up til 1 in the morning browsing Pinterest addicted. So, ya know, if I ever go silent for 30 days, it's because I'm in rehab to get over my obsession.

Chapter 5
"I'm sorry. You're trying to do what?" Ginny Weasley inquired as they browsed a rack of wedding dresses in Madame Malkin's shop.

Hermione stood off to the side while her friend shopped. She had been named maid of honor while she and Ron were still together, and Ginny wouldn't allow her to abdicate the title. Ginny had dragged her all over Diagon Alley to get ideas for her wedding when Hermione told her the plan.

"Get pregnant," she said once more. "Draco and I are going to have a baby."

"And that doesn't seem ridiculous to you?" the redhead inquired.

Hermione took the dress with too much tulle from the bride-to-be's hand and placed it back on the rack. "No, it doesn't," she replied. "Draco's my best friend, and we both want to do this. What's so crazy about it?"

Ginny reclaimed the dress and handed it to the shop owner. "It's Draco Malfoy," she stated. "Your kid will come out with a chin so sharp it can cut glass and a Dark Mark on its forearm. Besides, you and Ron will get back together eventually. He's not gonna like playing stepdaddy to Malfoy's spawn."

Turning on her heel, Hermione made her way to the door and left the shop. "I'm going home, Ginny," she stated, sensing her behind her.

"Wait, Hermione, come on," she said, trailing her friend. "Talk to me. I'm sorry about what I said, okay?"

Hermione turned and moved close to her. "No, it's not okay," she replied. "And we're not discussing this on the street. I'm going home."

Ginny huffed as her friend disappeared, then Apparated to Hermione's flat seconds later. "So, can we talk about this now?" she inquired, making herself comfortable on the sofa.

"I think you've said all you need to say," Hermione stated.

Ginny shook her head. "No, I haven't," she countered. "Look, I don't like Malfoy. I don't know that I ever will like Malfoy. But that's not what bothers me about this idea of yours. Have you thought about how you'll raise this baby with him? Does he even plan to help you? And what happens if you meet the love of your life? I'm sure whatever custody arrangement you have will work fine with the both of you single, but imagine the nightmare that could ensue if one of you decides to get married. Besides, the papers are announcing that he's marrying one of the Greengrass girls."

Hermione sighed. "Not that it's any of your business, but having a baby would break his marriage contract," she confided. "But that's not why he's doing it. He wants this baby too. Right now, we're focused on trying to conceive. Once that happens, we'll discuss future arrangements."

"Hermione Granger, the woman with a fifteen year plan, hasn't considered custody yet?" Ginny balked. "No, forget it. Not my problem. I just have one question. Are you still in love with my brother? I know he didn't want kids, but this seems like a pretty extreme way of getting back at him for it. You know how he feels about you and Malfoy together."

Shaking her head, Hermione sat down in the nearest armchair. "This has nothing to do with Ron," she stated. "Yes, we broke up because he didn't want kids or marriage, and I did. I have no intentions of getting back together with him, now or at any point in the future."

"Are you and Draco a couple now?" Ginny asked.

Turning her head, Hermione looked down at the floor. "No," she said softly. "At least, I don't think we are. I tried to ask him, but he wasn't sure." She sighed heavily. "And then he left for Blaise and Pansy's. I think he came home after I went to bed."

"Well, he sounds like perfect father material," Ginny muttered. "If he's walking out the door over a simple question of what you are to each other, what makes you think that'll change once there's a baby in the house?"

Hermione scowled. "It's not like he does this all the time," she pointed out. "He's under a lot of pressure at work, and trying to have a baby has been stressful. I've made that no easier."

"Stop, Hermione," Ginny replied, holding up one hand. "You sound like one of those women who defends a man for beating her."

With a roll of her eyes, Hermione responded. "That's a bit extreme, Gin. Look, it doesn't matter what I say in his defense. You'll always hate him."

Ginny shrugged. "What's that saying about leopards and spots?" she asked.

"That they can't change them," Hermione told her.

"Right," Ginny said. "If you ask me, Draco's the leopard. He's not some bleeding heart do-gooder who just wants equality in our world. He wants you to have this baby so he doesn't have to marry someone he doesn't want to marry, and then he'll just dump all of the responsibility on you. Remember the time he brought home that puppy? Who did all the walking and feeding and let it sleep in your bed until you found its owner?"

"He won't be like that with our child," Hermione said definitively. "And that's the end of this conversation."

Sighing, Ginny got to her feet. "So, are you going to continue shopping with me?" she asked. "Or should we just reschedule for another day?"

"We'll go another day," Hermione decided. "I'm a bit tired."

Nodding, Ginny rose and left without another word. When the green flames dissipated, Hermione left the living room for the kitchen. What she found there surprised her. Or rather, who. "Hey," Draco said sheepishly. "Um, I wasn't eavesdropping or anything."

"How long were you not eavesdropping?" she asked with a smile.

Draco shrugged. "Since you and Weasley got here," was his answer. "But you sounded mad, so I figured I should stay out of sight."

Hermione nodded and took a seat at the table while he continued to make lunch. He worked silently until he placed two bowls of chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on the table. She stirred her soup, but didn't eat. Ginny's words plagued her mind, making it difficult to focus on anything else.

"What she said," Hermione started.

Draco shook his head and stilled her hand. "It's not true," he promised.

"Any of it?" she asked.

Sighing, he sat back in his chair. "You know I've changed," he said. "I wouldn't be sitting here with you now if I hadn't. As long as you let me, I want to be involved our child's life. One of us moving out or getting married won't change that."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Yes, it will," she whispered. "It'll mean not spending all our time with the baby. It'll mean shipping our child back and forth between us constantly."

"Is there someone else?" he couldn't help but wonder. "I mean, I know you're doing this with me because it's the only way out of the contract, but I didn't think you'd start dating again so soon."

"No, Draco. There's no one," she assured him. "It's just like Ginny said - I'm a woman with a fifteen year plan. It's just something I've thought about. I want to get married someday, and I'm just thinking about how our child would fit into that."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll work it out when the time comes," he assured her.

She nodded reluctantly. "About the dog-"

Draco chuckled and let go of her hand so he could eat. "I was allergic to that dog," he excused. "I doubt I'd be allergic to our baby. It won't be the same."

Picking up her spoon, she started to eat. "It better not be."