Growing Pains

Chapter Eleven

Ginny laid on the couch, twirling her ring around her finger, a blanket tucked around her legs. She was bored. Extremely. Bored.

A knock on the door echoed out, and Ginny kicked the blanket off of her legs, heaving herself up.

"I'm coming! Hold on!" She called as she took a few waddling steps toward the door. Even at almost six months pregnant, Ginny felt huge. Molly teased her, telling her it was only going to get worse (Ginny would just scowl at her).

Ginny reached the foyer, and checked her appearance in the mirror quickly, brushing a loose tendril of hair from her face, before opening the door.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, opening the screen door for her best friend.

Hermione stepped inside the house, and Ginny stopped for a moment to take in her appearance. Hermione was dressed in an old pair of leggings and an old Chudley Cannon's sweatshirt of Ron's- a very different appearance from the usually very pristine outfit Hermione wore. She carried two large bags, stuffed to the brim of things. Ginny recognized one as the enchanted bag from her six (Hermione's seventh) year.

"What is that?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Those are supplies," Hermione answered simply, as if Ginny would understand.

"Supplies for what?" Ginny asked.

"You'll see," said Hermione in an airy voice. She carried the bags up the stairs, Ginny trudging slowly behind her.

Hermione reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner into the second door on the left.

"What're you doing?"

"This will be the baby's nursery?"

"I don't know. To be honest, Harry and I haven't discussed it yet," Ginny said sheepishly. Hermione frowned.

"Well, then I'll decide for you. This will be the baby's nursery."

"Alright. This is good. I like it," Ginny put her hands on her hips, her eyes taking in the room.

Along the far outside wall, there was a cut out with a large window and a bench. The currently white room was naturally bright, the wood floors reflecting the light and making the room bright.

"Before we get to work, I have a gift."

Hermione handed Ginny one of the two bags. This contained a light box, tied off with a ribbon. Ginny carefully untied the bow, and lifted the lid off of the box.

Inside, four stuffed animals sat, looking at her with innocent plastic eyes. Her eyes filled with tears.

"They're more for Harry, but I thought you might like them too... and I didn't know if I should get the mouse or not but...."

"Hermione, I love it. I know he'll love it. Thank you."

She lifted the stuffed wolf, black, shaggy dog, deer and mouse out of the box and sat them on the window bench, right in the middle so they'd be noticed first.

Suddenly and idea struck Ginny.

"I have an idea."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Several hours later, Ginny and Hermione stood back to back in the middle of the room. Hermione's leggings and sweatshirt covered with splatters of paint, and Ginny's old overalls looking the same way, her baby bump especially covered.

"It's time for the final touch," Ginny said quietly. She waved her wand at the wall, adding the final paintings to the wall.

Three walls of the room were painted a pale blue color (Hermione said it was a gender neutral color), but the small wall on the south side of the room, where the white crib would sit) was painted a darker shade of blue. Trees were added in a midnight blue, enchanted to look as if they were swaying in the wind.