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Together | ||||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 128 Summary: "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime," Harry Potter tells his friends after the Battle of Hogwarts. Life, however, is not done with Harry. The Wizarding community is left in chaos and it's up to Harry to fix it, and there's the small matter of repairing his relationship with Ginny, strained after months apart. Will Harry ever be able to settle and enjoy a simple life with the ones he loves? Hitcount: Story Total: 59500; Chapter Total: 2674 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Baby fever! Chapter titled after the song "This Will Be Our Year" by the Zombies |
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"I'm going mad," Ginny said bluntly. It was nearly noon, and she was still in her pajamas, sitting at the long table in the kitchen of their house. They'd finally decided on a semi-detached home in West Hampstead, bright and airy but still in possession of a rather large garden. Harry looked up from his copy of the Quibbler. He'd taken the day off work, thinking it would be nice to have a lazy day round the house. "Mad?" he asked lightly. "Why?" "Because I have no function! I'm useless, sitting around here all day. Tomorrow you get to go back to work and make the world a better place and do whatever else it is you do, and I'll wake up, fry an egg, straighten the sitting room, and then stare at my stomach all day," she groaned. Harry sighed. He wasn't sure exactly what he could do to alleviate Ginny's boredom. At first, the wedding had been a nice distraction. After the ceremony, they'd bought the place in Hampstead, and spent most of the last month decorating and getting the house ready for the baby. But now it was June, and the baby wasn't due for another three months, and Ginny had no more projects to keep her occupied. "Why don't you go visit Fleur?" he suggested, plastering a smile to his face. Ginny's sister-in-law had revealed in May that she was expecting her second child. "I'm sure she can commiserate." Ginny narrowed her eyes. "So she can tell me how 'blessed she iz' and that 'she 'as never suffered ze swelling or ze morning seeckness, merci beaucoup, mais ils ont l'air terrible? No, thank you." Harry had made the elementary mistake of forgetting that pregnancy had brought back Ginny's distaste for Phlegm. Luckily, he was saved by the sound of the bell on the letter flap from the front of the house. Harry smiled at the sound. Their new house had been a Muggle home before they'd purchased it, and owls always shoved things through the letter flap. It infuriated their own snowy, Swanhild, to no end. Ginny jumped up, ecstatic to have something to do. Bounding for the door, she shouted behind her, "If it's from Ron, you can read it first but otherwise it's mine." Harry poured himself another cup of coffee, taking a moment to feel guilty that Ginny's naturally competitive energy now had to be harnessed into a race for the post. He was thrilled when she had overcome her trepidation towards motherhood, and ecstatic as he watched her slowly become more excited about their impending arrival, but the fact of nature that Ginny had to be the one to carry their child made the entire process seem terribly unfair. Harry tried to imagine what it sacrifice his career for their family; he could do it, of course, but he knew it would be difficult, and that many of Ginny's friends in the last years had been made through Quidditch and were now training for finals and summer tournaments. She was a bit isolated. Ginny rushed back into the kitchen, brandishing a piece of parchment. "It's from George," she cried, handing the parchment to Harry, who began scanning it. "Angelina's had the baby. A boy." Harry looked up from the letter in surprise. "I thought she wasn't due until next month?" "She wasn't. It's nearly four weeks early." Ginny bit her lip in clear distress. "I'm sure everything's fine," Harry said reassuringly, turning back to the parchment. "Look, they've called him Fred… five pounds, two ounces. That doesn't seem too terribly small." "George has been so worried for months that something would go wrong, and now look at what's happened," Ginny said, chewing on her thumb. "Ginny, nothing's happened. They've had a baby! It's fantastic news. George's said Angelina's had a time of it and we should wait a couple days to visit, but he'll send a photograph. Really, everything sounds alright." "Five pounds is so small," Ginny said, and Harry saw a tear welling in the corner of her eye. "Ginny," he said slowly. "What's going on?" "Nothing!" she snapped. "I'm just worried about my nephew, it's not a crime. Merlin, what if our baby is that small? It probably will be, I mean I didn't even realize I was pregnant for months, and I was drinking and eating like crap and-" "Your midwives comment every time they visit on how healthy you are, Ginny. I know you're feeling anxious, but this is irrational, alright? Maybe you're going a bit stir crazy." "I know I'm going stir crazy," Ginny said dismally. "Alright, well, why don't we go into London. We can mess about in the city, I know you like watching the Muggle tourists." Ginny smiled slowly. "Can we take the Tube?" she asked. Harry laughed. "Sure, we can take the Tube." Ginny was quite like her father when it came to curiosities about the Muggle world. They dressed quickly, left their house, and walked hand-in-hand down their leafy street towards the Underground station. As they reached the platform, a man jostled Ginny rather rudely. Harry was about to say something, but Ginny exclaimed in delight. "Harry, what's that?" she asked, pointing to the man's hand, where he held a tiny white box, not unlike a mobile. A pair of earbuds stretched out from the bottom of the box to the man's ears. "Er, you know, Ginny, I'm not really sure," Harry admitted. "It's for listening to music, but I don't know what it's called…" "You've never seen an iPod, love?" a young woman drawled, leaning over towards them. Harry ignored the woman, pulling Ginny down the platform a bit. "An eye pod?" Ginny said to herself. "Can you see with it, or… no, that doesn't make much sense. How do they fit the records in there, Harry?" Harry shrugged. The train was arriving now, and he and Ginny clambered aboard. Ginny continued to muse over iPods until they reached Central London. They got off at Baker Street and walked into Marylebone, finding a cozy café where they each ordered a coffee. "Winifred says I'm only supposed to drink decaf," Ginny mused sadly. "How d'you think the Harpies are going to hold up against Tutshill next weekend?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. "We're going to obliterate them," Ginny said confidently, taking a sip of her coffee. They chatted animatedly about Quidditch for nearly an hour, and were contemplating walking through Regent's Park when Ginny gave a start and pointed out the window. "Look!" she said. "It's Percy and Audrey!" Harry turned, and surely enough spotted Percy's red hair next to Audrey's blonde, bobbing down the street. Ginny jumped up and ran for the door. Harry tossed some Muggle money onto the table and followed after her. "Perce!" Ginny called, and her brother turned in surprise. He and Audrey smiled in recognition, stopping so Harry and Ginny could catch up with them. "How are you?" Percy asked formally. "Oh, swollen and miserable," Ginny replied casually. "Can you believe it about George and Angelina?" "What about them?" Audrey asked uneasily. "You didn't get their owl?" Harry asked. "We've been out all morning," Percy said. "Angelina's had the baby!" Ginny said. "A boy; they've called him Fred." Percy smiled. "Brilliant news!" Audrey smiled. "It's a bit early, isn't it?" she asked. Ginny nodded. Percy glanced anxiously to his wife, before gesturing to some tables on the sidewalk outside the cafe. "Why don't we sit?" he suggested. The four gathered round the tabletop. "Hang on," Harry said. "Why aren't you two at work?" It wasn't too unusual for him to skive off on a Monday, but Percy was known for his spotless attendance record. Percy and Audrey shared a conspiratorial smile. Audrey cleared her throat. "I had an appointment on Harley Street." Ginny looked confused, but Harry remembered all too well his cousin's visit to Harley Street after Hagrid had given him a pig's tail. "I hope everything's alright," Harry said. Audrey nodded happily, reaching into her handbag and pulling out a grainy black-and-white picture. Harry's eyebrows shot up as realization dawned on him. "What the hell is that?" Ginny asked, gazing down at the picture. Audrey looked rather offended. "Er- Ginny," Harry began, but Audrey interrupted. "It's a sonogram, of course," she said. "I know it doesn't look like much yet, but it's only our first one…" Percy cleared his throat loudly. "It's, er, a picture of the baby we're expecting," he told his sister. "You're having a baby?" Ginny gasped. "That's brilliant!" "Thank you!" Audrey said. "Clearly it's something of a trend in the family, these days." Ginny laughed. "You can say that again. I still have no clue what this thing is you're trying to show me, though." Audrey pictured the sonogram up from the table. "See that?" she said. "That's my uterus. And then that," she continued, pointing to a tiny white grain surrounded by blackness, "is the baby." Ginny's eyebrows drew together in skepticism. "You went to this Harley Street place so someone could put a camera up your-" "That's not how it works!" Percy said, turning beet red, though Harry had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop from laughing. "Anyways, I'm glad we've run into you. We were going to go around and tell everyone today, but now that we know about George and Angelina we'll hold off." Audrey nodded. Ginny looked to Harry, looking rather upset. "I've just thought," she said. "What about Hermione?" Harry groaned in response. Percy and Audrey's news meant that Hermione would be the only woman in the family who wasn't on the brink of motherhood. He glanced back to Percy. "Any chance you could hold off on telling Ron and Hermione for a couple weeks?" Percy looked curious, but shrugged and nodded, much to Harry's happiness. "We should be going," he said, offering Audrey a hand. They stood. "Hang on," Ginny said. "You still haven't told me how you've got this picture! I want one, too! Ours is probably much cuter than that little lentil." Harry sighed as Audrey's mouth fell open in affront. Harry and Ginny walked up the steps to George and Angelina's flat in Diagon Alley. Ginny was bouncing with excitement, while Harry was laden with various gifts and flowers. George opened the door quickly, beaming proudly as he beckoned them into the flat. "He's bloody brilliant, wait until you see him," he told them. "Ron and Hermione have just arrived." Angelina was sitting on the sofa, chatting quietly with Hermione, while Ron stood before them, holding a small bundle in his arms. Ginny walked over to her sister-in-law, kissing her on the cheek as Harry deposited the gifts onto the coffee table. "Congratulations," she said. "How are you feeling?" "Oh, it's not so bad," Angelina said with a wave of her hand, though Harry noticed there was very little color in her lips or cheeks. "Go on, have a look at him." Ginny smiled, and she and Harry walked over to Ron, peering into the little bundle of blankets. "Hi, Fred," Ginny whispered. "Oh, George, he's perfect!" "I know," George said happily. Fred Weasley was indeed quite sweet. He yawned in Ron's arms, his tiny rosebud mouth stretching hugely before snapping shut again. He had a dark mop of hair, more than Harry had ever seen on his baby, and despite being so small, his caramel skin had a wonderfully rosy flush underneath it. Suddenly, his little mouth stretched outwards, something like a smile, and there was a quiet sound of flatulence before the baby's face fell back into contentedness. "Er," Ron said. "I think he's just done a bit of a poo, Angelina." "Merlin," she sighed. "He does about one an hour." George raised his wand and Harry heard him mutter a quick vanishing spell as he pointed it at the baby's nether regions. Fred squirmed, letting out a bit of a howl. "That's so lazy, George," Angelina said. "He needs fresh nappies!" "You just changed him twenty minutes ago!" George replied. "This works fine!" Fred clearly hadn't appreciated the sensation of having his excrement vanished from beneath him, and he began to cry, though his exhausted parents seemed content to let Ron handle it for a moment, chatting idly as Angelina summoned the tea tray in from the kitchen. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. It was George. "Can I have a word, mate?" he said, gesturing to the kitchen. Harry glanced back at the others. Ginny sat next to Angelina on the settee, the two chatting about Merlin-knew-what, while Hermione was in the armchair, listening to them with rapt attention, her elbow balanced on her knees as she held her chin in her hand. Ron stood in front of the coffee table, holding Fred, swaying awkwardly from side to side in an unsuccessful effort to keep him from howling. Harry looked back to George, nodding. George led the way to the kitchen, Harry following closely behind. When they passed the doorway, George turned towards him quickly. "You need to start preparing yourself, now," he said, in urgent tones. "I thought it would be bad. I expected screaming and blood and Angelina threatening to curse my bits off, but it's so much worse. It's bloody fucking horrible." Harry's lips felt suddenly dry, and his eyes widened. "What do you mean?" he asked apprehensively. George, who moments before had been beaming proudly over his son, now wore the look of a man returned home from battle with a horrible exhibition of shell-shock. "I can't even describe it. I know you've always liked Angelina; I want you to be able to look her in the eye again." "Well, you've told me to prepare myself, but you haven't said for what," Harry retorted, his anxiety turning into annoyance. "It can't really be that bad, can it? People would never have more than one kid! Angelina just told Ginny it was fine!" "She doesn't want to scare Ginny, but you need to be prepared so you can stay strong when things go to hell. Bill tried to warn me," George said, ignoring Harry's question. "I didn't listen. You have to be ready for the worst. It starts with the mucus, then the vomiting, then the pissing. The shitting doesn't start until quite near the end, but the worst was the Severing." Harry gulped loudly. "The Severing?" George nodded. "The midwife said the head was coming down too fast, and she was worried about anal tearing, of all things, and she - she just pointed her wand and - you know - Diffindo," he ended pathetically. "I still don't know what she Severed exactly, but Angelina's had to sit on a pillow for the last two days." Harry shuddered, and then panicked, because it seemed that George had not, in fact, finished talking. "Anyways, then the midwife handed Fred to Angelina, and I thought my chest was going to burst... I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I didn't have time to do either, because I went to ask the midwife a question and realized that she had her arm up to her bleeding elbow inside Angelina!" "What?!" Harry yelped, too shocked to be embarrassed at how high his voice was. "So then Angelina's screaming, you can bet your arse I'm screaming as well, and the baby's screaming quite a bit too. It was like the bloody Shrieking Shack, but in my bedroom. Anyways, she pulls out her arm out of Ange, bringing with her this bloody fucking mess, and then asks me if I wanted to cut the cord like it was the most normal thing in the world, as though she was asking me if I wanted a sandwich." George took a deep breath, indicating he was finished speaking. Harry didn't know what to say. He felt a bit lightheaded. "Er, well, thanks for the advice, I guess," he voiced awkwardly. "Well, you know, I just about want to die imagining all of that happening to my only sister," George said, recovering some of his jocularity. "But I know she'll be fine, and witnessing it is going to make you feel worse than I ever could, which makes all of this feel a bit better." Harry grimaced, but he had to admire George. With only a two minute conversation, he had ensured that Harry wouldn't sleep for the next three months. As Harry briefly fantasized about how nice life would be if Ginny didn't have five brothers, George walked to the refrigerator to grab them each a butterbeer. Just as he faced back towards Harry, they both heard a large crash emit from the sitting room. Harry grabbed his wand out of the front pocket of his jeans, and within seconds he and George had burst out of the kitchen, only to freeze at the sight in front of them. The source of the sound was immediately obvious; the tea tray that had previously been on the edge of the coffee table was now on the floor, the pot overturned with amber liquid leaking out onto the carpet. Hermione, now standing in front of the armchair, seemed to have caused the spill, though she appeared not to have noticed. Her eyes were wide, her mouth downturned, and her bushy hair seemed to stand on end. Ginny, Ron, and Angelina had not moved, and Ron was still holding Fred, though he was no longer swaying, but gazing down at his feet rather sheepishly. Angelina's hands were over her eyes and Ginny looked as though she were about to cry. Harry instinctively stepped towards Hermione, who turned to him, fuming. "Did you know?" she demanded of him. "Know what?" Harry questioned back, trying to sound innocent. "That Percy and Audrey are having a baby," Hermione spat. "Did you know that every single Fertile Myrtle in this bloody family are going to be having babies within a year of one another, except me?" "Oh, er, yeah," Harry said lamely. "I knew that." Hermione rolled her eyes. Angelina uncovered her face, and her expression was as miserable as Ginny's. "Honestly, Hermione, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were trying. I wouldn't have said anything..." Ginny also piped in, her voice small, "Harry and I just didn't tell you and Ron because we didn't want you to be upset, so soon after you found out about Bill and Fleur." "Oh, so when did you lot plan on telling me? Were you going to wait until after it was born, and then when I showed up at Christmas it would be a big, happy surprise?" Hermione wondered. Ginny looked away pointedly. "Hermione…" Ron began, and she whirled around to face him. "I'm so tired," she said, her voice cracking, "of being humiliated like this around your family. I didn't realize marrying you meant that I was expected to have two children and one on the way by the time I was twenty-five." "I never bloody said that! Did I?" Ron asked, more to the others than Hermione. No one spoke or moved. Even Fred was quiet and still in Ron's arms. Hermione threw her hands in the air. "Why do I feel so bad?! This is completely mental! Most Muggle women don't have their first child until they're nearly thirty, and wizards have a decades-longer life expectancy! What is wrong with all of you?" she cried shrilly at the room before turning on her husband. "I can't take it anymore, Ron. I can't take it! All of your little comments and asides about wanting to have children. If you want to have a baby so badly, find someone else to do it with! I'm done!" She turned to grab her bag, and made for the front door. Changing her mind, her head whipped around to look back at Ron, whose expression now was one of sheer terror. "You know, I was going to Apparate to my parents' house, but actually I'm going home. You find somewhere else to sleep. You find someone else to put up with you and your dirty clothes and your ridiculous need to eat every two hours and see if she wants to have a baby with you! Why would I want to have a baby when I already live with one? I'm so sick of you!" And on that final note, she strode through the front door, and within seconds they all heard a loud crack. Ron swore loudly, and walked over to Angelina, who leaned forward to take Fred from his arms. As she shifted, Harry saw that she was, in fact, sitting on a pillow. George looked from his wife, to Ginny, to Ron for a moment before letting out a low whistle. "What the hell was that about?" he asked them. Angelina ignored him. "Ron," she said. "Ron, I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Ron shook his head. "Harry and Ginny were the only ones who knew we were thinking about it. It was my fault anyways. I know when I talk like that it upsets her." "What did you say?" Harry asked Ron, but he looked at Ginny for a response. "It was just terrible timing," Ginny replied. "Ron was holding Fred, and he said he couldn't wait to have a kid, started going on about how mental it is that you, George, and Bill are all dads, and then…." "And then I brought up that Percy and Audrey were having a baby, and said that I couldn't believe we were all having babies within a year of one another. It was so insensitive, I didn't even think…." Angelina trailed off miserably. Ron managed to grin. "It's alright, Angelina, really. I should probably go try and talk to her." He made his way across the room and out the door, and they all heard a second crack from the hall. Ginny pushed herself up from the sofa. "We should probably leave too," she told Angelina. "You can really clear a room, huh, Freddie?" Angelina asked her tiny son, who sighed in response. Ginny laughed, and then leaned down to kiss her nephew on the forehead. She gestured to Harry, and they walked over to the fireplace, and moments later found themselves falling out into their own kitchen. Ginny sat down heavily at the table. "I can't believe George is a dad," she said, absentmindedly stroking her stomach. Harry put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. She reached out to rub his back and they were silent for a moment, Harry standing and Ginny sitting. "I miss Fred," she said finally. "Seeing George like that… it would've made him so happy." "I know," Harry murmured, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. Suddenly, Ginny cried out in surprise, her hand flying from Harry's back to her stomach. "She just kicked really hard!" she cried. "She?" Harry repeated, but Ginny was already grabbing his hand and dragging it to her abdomen. She moved it around for a moment, before stopping just to the left of her navel. Harry had just let his hand relax when he felt it; three tiny beats pressed into his palm so quickly he nearly missed them before the soft skin of her stomach stilled again. Ginny looked up at him, a bright smile stretching across her face. "Did you feel that?" she asked, amazed. Harry swallowed thickly. "I - yeah, I did," he said, kneeling down in front of her. She placed her hands on his shoulders now, pressing the tips of her fingers into his back as he traced his own thumbs against each side of her growing stomach. His heart pounded with the realization, the confirmation, of the life that resided just beyond the stretch of her sweater. Ginny could've told him a thousand times that they were expecting a baby, but he never would've believed as deeply as he did when he felt that flutter under her jumper. He bowed his head for a moment over the crest of her belly, thinking about George and his dire warning as her fingers moved their way up from his shoulders to gently massage his scalp. Harry lifted his head. "You really think it's a girl?" he asked. "I really do!" Ginny giggled. "I don't know, I'm sure it sounds mad." "We should start thinking about names," Harry said. "I have been thinking about names!" Ginny said, as if offended that Harry thought she had neglected such an important task. "Well?" Harry asked, pulling another chair out from the table and sitting beside her. "For a boy? I love Peregrin," Ginny said happily. "Or maybe Ulysses, or Hieronymus." "Hieronymus?" Harry asked. "You're joking." "I am not joking," Ginny said, indignant. "Hieronymus is a fantastic name, and he'd never be confused with anyone else!" Harry rubbed his eyes. "Merlin, Ginny, why don't we just call him Pigwidgeon and be done with it?" Ginny rolled her eyes. "Pigwidgeon's a pet's name, you muppet," she said condescendingly, before realizing he was mocking her and scowled. "Fine, Harry, what are you thinking for a name?" Ginny asked. "I don't know," Harry said. "I kind of thought we could name him after someone we lost in the war, like George and Angelina have done." He braced himself for disappointment as Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Don't you think…. I don't know, Harry, don't you worry that's a lot to put on a little baby?" Ginny asked. "All of our grief, all of our trauma, projected onto this little life who has no clue about any of it." Harry had never thought about that before, but could certainly appreciate that it was quite the cross to bear for a young child. "I mean, boy's names are quite difficult, but ones for girls are always so lovely. I was thinking Bathsheba!" Harry raised his eyebrows, finding it very difficult indeed to contemplate the image of himself, Ginny, and their daughter Bathsheba, but he was saved from the necessity to comment by the sudden ringing of their doorbell. Harry walked out of the kitchen and down the hall, pulling the door open. Ron was standing there, holding a suitcase. "She's really done it," he said miserably. "She's thrown me out." Harry attempted to make a supportive face, before stepping back and letting his friend walk into the house. |
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