Moments of Love

Chapter 5: Pink or not? Shopping at Magical Babies

Ron opened the door to a spacious shop with pastel-coloured walls and dancing stars hanging from the ceiling. Even during lunch hour, Magical Babies was packed with people: huge-bellied women fingering baby clothes, men running after wild toddlers, and couples checking out squeaky new prams.

'It's lovely!' Hermione pulled the strap of her bag higher up on her shoulder and looked around, her eyes shining.

'Very nice,' Ron agreed and squeezed a plush cat toy on a shimmering golden shelf. 'So, what do we buy? Clothes? Nappies? Dummies?'

Hermione took out a piece of parchment.

'Practical Pregnancy had an example list of what to buy before the baby arrives, and I copied it down. I know Molly has made some very nice clothes for the baby, but you know, they're rather...' She squirmed on the spot, eyeing a peach-coloured sleepsuit doing a little dance in midair in front of them.

'Old-fashioned?' Ron said, following her gaze. 'Boring?'

'Well, a bit old-fashioned, yes. I mean, I'm really thankful for them, but I'd like to get some other clothes, too.'

'Don't worry, I think Mum'll understand as long as she sees the baby in her clothes every now and then.'

'That's just what I thought. Besides, the clothes that Molly made will do very nicely as outside clothes, as they're pretty sturdy and the fabric won't show stains that well.'

'Good idea. So, what say you if we split now and both choose some stuff?'

'But you don't know much about shopping for a baby,' Hermione said slowly.

'What's there to know? I'll just check the size -yes, I know it's "newborn"- and that's it.'

'Hmph,' Hermione said, but Ron was already walking away, whistling happily.

*

After three quarters of an hour, Hermione returned to the same spot, carrying two full shopping baskets. Ron was not there yet, but after a couple of minutes, Hermione saw a very tall and a very pink tower tottering towards her. It was Ron holding so many pink garments that only a tuft of his hair was visible on the top.

'This place is great,' Ron said and laid the pile on a display table where multi-coloured teddy bears were playing drums. 'I've never seen so many sweet things in my life.'

'Yes, but...' Hermione hesitated, flipping through the pile. 'Ron, these are all pink.'

'Only the best for our princess!' Ron beamed. 'I chose the ones that had the most glitter and frills. Look at the lace collar in this dress. It even sings a song!'

Hermione swallowed and forced out a smile.

'Er, right. But Ron, have you thought that it might be a prince?'

Ron looked so flabbergasted that Hermione had to smile.

'And besides, don't you think some of these are rather...over-the-top?'

'Girls are supposed to have frills,' Ron said stubbornly and lifted up a tiny pink shirt with thick layers of glittering lace at the sleeves. 'And my girl will have the best frills.'

'But what if it's a boy? Because I definitely think it might be a boy. Know Your Belly says that if the bump is very high, it's a boy, and mine undeniably is. And it also says that morning sickness is worse when you're expecting a boy.'

'Mum said it's most certainly a girl,' Ron said. 'And I have a gut feeling that it's a girl. Besides, your bump is too small yet to say whether it's high or low.'

'Molly made her prediction based on the shape of the bump, too!'

'It's a completely different thing.'

Hermione groaned and lifted her baskets on the table.

'Well, I won't have my child going around looking like a clown. Here, I chose sensible, good quality clothes.'

Ron picked up a pair of trousers and a jacket.

'Muted green and brown? These are no different from the rags Mum's been making!'

'It's quality fabric, and it's a well-known brand,' Hermione said and flipped to the backside of the trousers. 'This will last at least two kids.'

'You want to dress all our children like midgets from Azkaban?' Ron asked, horrified. 'Babies are supposed to look pretty!'

Hermione ground her teeth and snatched a dress from Ron's pile.

'Look at these crystals! They will not only fall off really easily, but they're also dangerous because the baby might swallow them. And this fabric is flimsy; it will bleed colour in the first wash and probably stretch a lot, too.'

'Pfth, they wouldn't sell dangerous clothes here,' Ron said and seized a dungaree from Hermione's basket. 'Dark blue with two grey stripes? The baby'll have clinical depression before it's weaned!'

'It's from "WitchKid", and they're the best brand around. All their clothes are handmade right here in Britain. None of these imported cheap things,' Hermione said furiously and picked a velvet pinafore dress from Ron's pile. 'Look here, "Made in Thailand"! This will probably last a month!'

'I'm not dressing my baby in ugly clothes!' Ron retorted and threw the dungaree back in the basket. 'I had enough of that as a kid. We have money; we can always buy more clothes!'

They stared at each other, both steaming and absolutely refusing to give in. People passed them, looking at the piles of clothes curiously but soon sidling away from the crackling atmosphere.

'Ron, I understand that you want things to be different from your childhood, and I know you only want the best for your child. But we really have to use some common sense,' Hermione said finally.

'Yes, but who says sense means dull,' Ron began, but he was cut off by a familiar-sounding voice.

'Hermione? Ron? I thought it was you!'

A dark-haired woman stood behind them, holding a small white playsuit.

'Parvati?' Hermione moved closer. 'It's been so long! How are you?'

'I'm fine,' Parvati said, but she looked slightly pale. 'And you? I heard you're working at the Ministry.'

'Yes, I'm in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and Ron's in the Auror department. Where are you nowadays?'

'I'm a healer at St Mungo's.'

'That's wonderful,' Hermione said encouragingly, as Parvati seemed a little cast down. 'Oh, is that a wedding ring I see?'

'Yes.' Parvati raised her ring finger to show a diamond-tipped gold ring. 'I met Henry at St Mungo's; he's a mediwizard. I read in the Prophet that you two got married as well?'

'Yep, eight months ago,' Ron said.

'Congratulations.' Parvati's eyes brushed at the piles of baby clothes. 'So, are you...?'

'Expecting, yes.' Hermione smiled and nudged the little playsuit. 'And looks like you're, too! Congratulations!'

Parvati's eyes clouded, and she squeezed the garment tighter.

'No, actually I'm not. I'm returning this.'

'Oh, is it too small?' Hermione asked confusedly.

'No,' Parvati said, speaking in barely a whisper. 'We...we lost the baby before it was born. I bought this three months ago, but I hope they'll still take it back. I haven't really been up to...well, you know.'

Hermione was so shocked she couldn't say a word for a full minute, but luckily Ron steered the conversation to safer topics. Parvati left soon, and Hermione felt more miserable than ever even during the worst moments of her morning sickness as she looked at Parvati's forlorn back. She slipped her hand in Ron's, and they looked at each other for a while. Their words came out at the exact same time.

'Let's take them all.'