SIYE Time:10:59 on 10th December 2024 SIYE Login: no | | |
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The Best Kind of Prize is a SUR-Prise!! By deenas
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Category: Post-DH/AB
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fluff
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: G
Reviews: 10
Summary: Getting caught up in the moment has varying results....
Hitcount: Story Total: 5266
Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.
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He nuzzled her neck, just below her ear, and kissed her softly to make her giggle.
"What brought all of this on?" Ginny asked while her hands roamed over his back. "Not that I'm complaining, love."
"Well," he said, rolling onto his back and pulling her across his chest, "I had a very good day today."
"That good, huh?" She kissed his nipple and circled it with her tongue. "What happened?"
"I got to have lunch with you, and I helped Ted go through Remus' things."
"That does sound like a good day."
"D'you know what would make it even better?" He slid her body so that she lay fully against him, whispering in her ear.
"Mmmm…that does sound like fun."
****
Harry's face fell. "You're kidding."
"Sorry." Ginny shrugged her shoulders and gave him a half-smile. This was good news in her opinion, even though their youngest was nearly thirteen.
"How'd that happen?"
"Um, Harry, we have three kids--"
"Four," he pointed out. "Well, three and a half." He walked to her and put a hand on her belly and kissed her tenderly on her nose.
"So you're okay with it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" His hand began caressing her belly before moving around toward her bum.
Ginny inched toward him and gasped slightly when he placed his lips on her neck."Well, we thought we were done." She moved her head, giving him better access to suck and lick her neck.
"Mother Nature didn't think so," he said as he kissed her neck. She gave a little moan and pressed her body against his. Even after twenty years, he could drive her body wild. Harry moved his mouth toward hers, claiming her eager lips with his.
Ginny's eyes widened at a sudden thought and she pulled away. "The kids are gonna be livid!"
"Tough. We'll disown them if they don't love the baby."
"Harry…"
"Sorry. This is great news, I swear."
"So when should we tell them? I don't think I want to share this in an owl, you know," Ginny said as he caressed the side of her breasts, which were slightly tender.
"Maybe we should wait until they come home," Harry suggested. "You know, just in case." Ginny had never had problems in any of her pregnancies, but she was thirteen years older than last time. Even though Harry was excited about the prospect of a new baby, he was still rather wary and shocked at the same time.
She looked at him thoughtfully and silently nodded. "Sounds good. I'd hate to tell everyone and then…." She shuddered at the thought. "So we have, what, a month and a half?"
Harry figured the time in his head and nodded. "Sounds about right. James, he'll have the roughest time, I think." Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Next term was supposed to be all about him and now he'll have to share it."
"He's had to share since he was two. He'll get over it."
****
Harry and Ginny anxiously stood on Platform 9 ¾ to wait for the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Passing through the barrier had churned Ginny's stomach and she'd nearly emptied its contents into a rubbish bin. Ron watched curiously with an arched brow as she bent over the bin.
"You all right there, sis?" Ron asked, his eyes surveying his sister's pallid complexion.
Ginny nodded. "I'm good," she answered, hoping that her tone belied the tenseness in her stomach.
"She hasn't been feeling well lately. Bout of the flu," Harry supplied. He and Ginny hadn't told anyone of their surprise pregnancy and really didn't want Ron to find out before the kids.
Ron was about to say something, opened his mouth, and then his eyes lit up. "Hey, Hermione made it!" He took off in the other direction, spread the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea, and enveloped his wife in his arms.
"That was close," Harry whispered to Ginny.
"Tell me about it. I don't think he's as clueless as we all imagine."
He snorted. "You think? Stomach better?" He gathered her to his side, doing his best to soothe her. She had never been pregnant when they'd gone through the barrier before so they hadn't expected the violent upheaval. Her Healer had said Apparating was fine for her, and Harry reckoned that passing through the barrier was quite similar. Apparently, he was wrong.
"Much. Thanks," she said with a smile, lifting herself on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "I just hope I don't lose it when we go back through."
"Hadn't thought of that."
Ginny was about to say something when the sound of the whistle interrupted her. Together, she and Harry watched as the scarlet train slowed as it pulled into the station, billowing smoke filling the platform.
"Oh Merlin," she groaned and took off for the nearest bin, holding a hand over her mouth. This time, vomiting into the bin. When she finished, she held herself against the rim, taking deep breaths, in case another wave of nausea washed over her again. Feeling someone's presence beside her, she looked up and frowned, finding her brother standing beside her.
"What's wrong? And don't tell me it's the flu." He crossed his arms over his chest, putting on a stern look that really was most comical. Ginny's mind raced as she tried to scramble for some sort of excuse.
"Still checking up on me? I assure you, Ron, that I am perfectly fine. I am not sick. I am not hung-over. I just got queasy from the train smoke." Ginny stood up straight, grateful that her stomach had settled. The chatter of disembarking students grabbed her attention and she smiled. "The kids are getting off the train. I think I see Hugo."
Ron turned toward the train and Ginny slipped past him to rejoin Harry, who was already hugging Lily. Her steps quickened and soon found herself wrapped in her own bear hug.
"Mummy!" Lily squealed. "I've so much to tell you! You'll never guess what happened this year to Al!"
Before Ginny could inquire about the comment and also before Lily could expand on her revelation, Al shouted from a few feet away, "Don't believe a single word that little twit tells you, Mum!"
Al had grown since the Easter hols, she noticed. He'd filled out in the shoulders and his face had thinned out a little bit. If she wasn't mistaken, there was a shadow along his jaw line. He was growing up so fast. Lily was also she had noticed. Her daughter's hair was shiny and wavy, almost as if she'd spent a fair amount of time brushing it. Lily had also sprouted up a bit as well, coming up to nearly eye level. Tears began forming in the corner of Ginny's eyes. Her babies weren't babies anymore; Lily had just turned thirteen, and the boys were young men with James being nearly eighteen. Merlin, how would the news of the baby go over with them? The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she watched her middle child marching toward her.
"Mum, I know I'm handsome and all, but I shouldn't reduce you to tears," Al teased his mother. He was much more confident about his appearance than his father had been at the same age. Even though he looked much like Harry, his self-confidence was more similar to his uncle Bill's.
"Oh shush, young man," Ginny said through her tears, finding herself wrapped up in Albus' arms. "Now tell me, what could your sister tell me that would be so terrible?"
Al's face reddened and he pulled away, looking even more like his father. "She lies, Mum."
"No, Mum, Al's a big fat liar and a Casanova," Lily pointed out. "You should hear about all the–"
"Shut. Up!" Al roared, looking ready to cast a spell at his sister.
"Can you please save the arguments until we get home?" Ginny pleaded.
Al was about to say something when Harry walked up with James and a young lady in tow.
"Jamie!" Ginny squealed as she launched herself at her oldest. She knew it would embarrass him, but he was her favourite; she knew she shouldn't favour one child over another, but they shared many common interests and he was so very much like Fred….
"Mum, get off me!" he protested in a whisper. "My girl's here." Ginny was about to pull about away when she caught a quizzical look on his face. "You alright, Mum? You look a little sick. And you gained weight."
She wiggled out of his embrace and shot an admonishing look at him. "If you're that blunt, you're never going to keep her." She turned toward the girl standing next to him. "Hello, Tamara."
"Hullo, Mrs. Potter." Tamara and James had been dating since they were fourteen and she had never been comfortable using Ginny's first name.
"It's Ginny, remember?" She reached for the girl and they embraced. It wouldn't surprise her if Tamara and James married in a few years. Ginny felt her stomach drop; she could have a married son and a toddler. Sweet Merlin. "What've you got planned for the summer?"
"Well," Tamara began, "I'm going to Greece in a couple days and, well..." The girl's face fell and she looked like she was going to cry.
"Mum, Dad, we were hoping to spend them together, you know?" James said tentatively. "I'm gonna miss her." He, too, suddenly looked as if the world was coming to an end.
Ginny looked up at Harry, and by the look on his face, she knew exactly what he was thinking about. Memories of Harry leaving Bill's wedding and being on the run for nearly a year came back in frightening flashes. They both understood what the teens were feeling.
"I don't think it would be too much of an issue," Harry assured James as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "What about you, Gin?"
"It shouldn't be a problem, but I'm afraid that we'd like to have him home tonight," Ginny said, her stomach starting to knot again.
James nodded solemnly as he walked Tamara over towards her parents. Ginny watched as the younger girl said her goodbyes to James; they clung to each other and exchanged tentative kisses, careful not to let themselves become too involved.
"He's growing up so fast," Ginny said softly to no one in particular. She felt an arm around her waist before inhaling Harry's cologne.
"They all are." He leaned over and nuzzled her neck, placing a tiny kiss where her neck joined her torso. "But we'll be going through this all again in a few years."
She groaned at the realization. "Funny, Harry." She turned and kissed his chin. "I think I'm going to Apparate to the other side. I don't want to throw up again."
****
After the dinner dishes had been cleared and set to wash in the kitchen sink, Harry called the kids down into the sitting room. Ginny sat nervously in the chair with her ankles crossed and a cup of tea in her hand. She'd never been one for tea, but her nerves and the wonderful morning sickness that lasted all day had forced her stomach to tie itself in knots during supper, and the last thing she wanted was to barf in the sitting room.
The children ambled carelessly into the room. Al was anxious to call his girlfriend, Sara, James wanted to mope in his room until he could see Tamara tomorrow, while Lily just wanted to fly around the countryside on her broom.
"What's going on?" asked Al, looking around and taking in the sombre faces of his parents.
Harry sighed and began, "We have some news."
"You're not getting a divorce, are you?" cried Lily in a panic. It was apparent that the last thing she needed was her parents getting a divorce as well as burgeoning hormones.
"That's not it at all," Ginny reassured her by patting her on the knee and pulling Lily against her side, who smiled as she snuggled into her mother.
"D'you have cancer, Dad?" asked Al. It was difficult to determine if he was joking or asking seriously.
"No, sweetie, your father's fine."
"It's your mum–"
"Oh shit! You're too young to die, Mum!" James burst out, his jaw falling open and tears beginning to brim in his eyes.
"Jamie!" Ginny scolded.
"Mummy?" Lily squeaked from beside her.
"I'm not sick…just, well…"
"Pregnant," Harry blurted. His eyes met Ginny's and they shared a secret smile. He was obviously relieved that the news was out; they hadn't even told her family yet, although she was now sure that both Ron and Hermione had their suspicions by now.
The room was uncharacteristically quiet. Ginny looked at Lily beside her, whose eyes were wide as saucers. Al looked as if he was going to hyperventilate, and James was sputtering, as if the words were stuck to the roof of his mouth.
James gathered his composure and began looking up at the ceiling and in the corners of the room. "Where's the camera? It's a television programme, isn't it?"
Al began laughing along with his brother and shook his head. "Funny, Dad, real funny."
"I don't think they're joking, Al," said Lily quietly, drawing back from Ginny's embrace.
Harry moved onto the sofa and put his arm around her."We're not. Mum and I are expecting in January." He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the lips.
"Oh, that's just wrong!" Al barked, wearing a disgusted look on his face.
"You still do that?" James said, still chuckling.
Lily backed away from her parents, looking as if someone'd stolen her favourite stuffed animal. "Mu-um! How could you?"
"Will you three just stop?" Ginny wailed, hauling herself up from the sofa as she threw her hands up in the air.
James was still laughing, clutching his stomach. "Wow, Dad, didn't think you could still get it up!"
"JAMES!!" Lily shouted, her voice edgy with emotion.
"What? He's like…fifty."
Harry scowled at his eldest. "Forty, Jamie. Where'd you learn to do maths?"
"Mum taught me."
"Stop it, all of you! We didn't plan this and we certainly don't need your permission to have a baby! Just…just grow up, the lot of you!" With a huff, Ginny turned on her heels and stomped out of the room, fully aware that she appeared to be having a temper tantrum. Tears streamed down her face as she headed toward the stairs.
"Ginny…" came Harry's voice along with his soft footsteps.
"Way to go dumb-ass!" rung Al's voice, followed by the sound of his hand whacking his brother's head.
****
A knock came from the other side of the door, and Harry turned to Ginny, who was sitting against the headboard, pretending to read a book. While she had known the reaction they would get from the kids was going to be a bit tumultuous, she had never expected the outright shock and hostility they'd demonstrated.
After running from the sitting room, Harry had caught up with her and held her as they sat on the bed. They spoke about their excitement over the baby, never mentioning the other three. He'd reassured her of his love with kisses and intimate touches, not allowing her to reciprocate. He'd wanted to make her feel better and had wanted nothing in return.
She'd been hoping the three youngsters would see the light and if not embrace the pregnancy, she hoped that they'd learn to accept it and the baby to come.
The knocking continued and Harry answered, "Come in." He took his wife's hand and gave it a squeeze.
James led his siblings inside their parents' bedroom, conjuring folding chair for them to sit upon, while foregoing the settee and armchairs near the fireplace. He turned to Al and gave him a look.
"Mum, we're sorry, really," he said softly, his eyes conveying much more than his words were able."Yeah, we are," James said with a nod at the other two. "I'm sorry I made jokes."
Ginny smiled, realizing James must feel rather bad about the whole thing; he never apologized for making a joke. "Thank you. We...your father and I are really excited about the baby and...we wanted you to be, too."
"We understand," James agreed. "The three of us talked about it, but you know, it's a bit of a shock, you know?"
"I reckon you weren't planning it?" Al hedged. "Cause, well, you had thirteen years to add a fourth."
Harry chuckled. "You're right and we'll just say that we got a little caught up in the moment."
Al and James groaned while Lily giggled and turned a lovely shade of crimson.
"Which should serve as a good lesson for all three of you," Ginny reminded them.
"Oh Merlin, Mother!" Lily exclaimed, covering her face with one hand. "That's just..."
"Could happen to anyone, little girl," Al teased.
"So did you get caught in the moment with Sara yet?" Lily said with a harsh edge to her voice.
"Why you little–"
"STOP!" Ginny interrupted, holding up a hand. "Lily, you need to mind your own business. Albus, you will talk with your father and explain what's going on tomorrow." Al nodded his head sullenly without looking up. "And Jamie–"
"It's alright, Mum," James said with his eyes closed. "I...well, Tam and I are careful."
Harry groaned. "I did not need to hear that tonight. Looks like I'll be having a chat with both of you tomorrow." He waved his finger at both the boys.
"Okay, only if you don't have a repeat moment thirteen years from now," teased Al.
"Oh don't worry about it. Your father's getting a vasectomy before Christmas." Ginny turned to her husband, whose face was deathly white.
"What?" His hands instinctively covered his crotch.
"Did I forget to mention that? Must be the hormones."
****
"You promise we can come home when the baby's born?" Lily asked as she got ready to head to Platform 9 ¾.
"Yes, yes," Ginny reassured her. "We've cleared it with the headmaster and Neville." No matter how many years Neville was teaching at Hogwarts, she could never call him 'Professor.'
"Merlin, Lil, that's not another four and a half months. You'll probably have gone through three boyfriends by then and forgot all about it," teased Al.
"She will not," Harry stepped in, heaving a trunk onto a trolley. "She's not dating until she's thirty."
"Daddy!" whined Lily while her mother smirked and shook her head.
"Don't worry, love," Ginny whispered in her daughter's ear. "My brothers lived in denial about me and your father until James was born." They shared a little chuckle together.
Harry's wristwatch beeped and he cleared his throat. "It's a quarter of eleven. We need to get you three through the barrier. I'll go with you if want." He looked at Ginny with a sad face. She wasn't allowed to pass through the barrier anymore while pregnant, and Apparating was also out of the question.
Ginny met his eyes with a bit of sorrow. She always loved watching the train pull away and seeing the smoke billow out of the scarlet engine. She'd gone to King's Cross every September first since she was around three, watching her brothers off one by one. Today was bittersweet; her oldest was starting his final year at Hogwarts, Al was prefect and Lily was blossoming into a beauty of a young lady. Both boys were expecting to make their respective House teams again, while Lily was finally getting a chance this year to try out for Seeker for Gryffindor. It was going to be an exciting school year.
"Go ahead, Harry. I need to sit for a while." She knew she would cry, there was no running away from the fact. Hormones or not, seeing her children leave for school was an emotional time. "At least give me a hug then!" She smiled while her eyes began to burn.
Al gave her a one-armed hug and kissed the top of her head. "I won't have to see the actual birth, will I?" Blood and Al simply did not mix.
"Not if you don't want to," Ginny reassured him. "You be nice to your sister."
"She's a Gryffindor!" he wailed. "I don't have to be nice to her."
"You are terrible!" She put her hands on his shoulders and shook her head. "But I love you, Albus." Ginny hugged him and sent him on his way, watching him pass through the barrier as a tear fell down her cheek.
Lily embraced her mother happily and as she pulled away, looked down at Ginny's belly. "I felt it kick! That was a strong one!" She started giggling and rubbing her hands over her mother.
Ginny squirmed away and looked at her daughter. "That...bothers me, Lily Bean."
"Sorry," Lily said with a cringe. "I forgot."
"It's alright. I reckon she wanted to say goodbye to her big sister."
Lily's face brightened. "A girl! It's a girl?"
"Shh, don't tell your brothers just yet," Ginny whispered. "It'll be our little secret." She gave Lily a kiss and another hug before watching her not-so-little girl pass through the wall.
James' good-bye was quick and silent. He'd wanted to avoid the whole send off; apparently, one doesn't say goodbye to parents at the beginning of seventh year. Ginny knew he was still a little embarrassed over the pregnancy; almost eighteen-year-olds didn't have a new sibling arriving. He hated standing out and dealing with being Harry's firstborn, feeling the eyes of Wizarding Britain on him from the moment of his birth. This was just another event where people would be curious about him.
"I love you, Jamie," Ginny said softly, earning her a nod and a smile from James.
"Me, too, Mum. Take care of yourself. I worry Dad will take you flying or something," he said with a chuckle. Ginny giggled back.
"Pish, I'm the better flyer and don't let him say anything different." She reached up and ruffled his hair, which was as unruly and unkempt as his father's was at the same age. "Thanks for worrying about me."
"I always will, Mum. You're my best girl." He leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek before turning around and disappearing with the trolley. Harry moved beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You want me to stay here? You look like you could use a little extra love today." He pulled her close and ran a hand up and down her arm. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the warmth he gave her.
"A little extra love? Don't you think you've given me enough of that?" she teased as she placed his left hand on her belly. "That's what started this."
"And we have an empty house once again. Those days are numbered," he pointed out, turning her body flush against his.
"Then why are we still here?"
****
Ginny gritted her teeth as another contraction tore through her.
"Ginny, dear, you need to relax," her mother reminded her as she stroked her hair.
"Don't talk to me, Mum!" Ginny screamed as if she were possessed. "Just keep your gob shut!"
"Ginny! You shouldn't talk to her like that," Hermione reminded her. "She's only trying to help."
"I'll be nice when Harry gets here. Where the bloody hell is he?" Another contraction hit her, making her grimace and grunt against the pain.
"Deep breaths, Ginny, deep breaths!"
"Get...her...out!" Ginny shouted as the contraction ended. "I love you, Mum, but you're effing driving me bonkers! Where the HELL is Harry?" Her face turned again to the door, willing Harry and the kids to come charging through. He'd left for Hogwarts over an hour ago; it shouldn't be taking them this long to get back.
"Molly, maybe...well..." Hermione said softly, trying to be nice about asking her mother-in-law to leave her daughter while in the throes of labour.
"This never happened with her others," Molly said brusquely.
"You were in the corridor for James and I was doped up with Al, Mum. Lily came by C-sec–SHIT!"
Molly looked around the curtain and shook her head. "Why won't they give her anything for the pain? She shouldn't have to go through this." She sniffed and conjured a handkerchief, blotting her eyes as she cried while Ginny fought against the pain. "I'll get the Healer," she said, leaving the room.
"Is she gone?" Ginny said softly.
Hermione frowned, looking fit to kill. "Were you deliberately doing that to get rid of her?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "If you did, I'll go get her right now, Ginny."
"No...she just...she hovers and makes me–"
The door flew open and in rushed Harry, Lily, and Al.
"Ginny?"
"Mummy?"
"Is there blood? You know I hate blood!"
Harry dashed to Ginny's side and began talking to her softly; her mood changed dramatically. When the next contraction came, she was calmly breathing in and out, working with the contraction rather than against it. Lily and Al watched from the foot of the bed, admiring the way their parents connected at such a stressful moment.
"James...where's James?" Ginny panted. Her eyes sought an answer from her children.
"He was in the middle of an exam, Mum," Al told her. "Are you sure you want us here?"
Harry turned to his son, noting that he was a little green. Al was never good around blood or sick people. "Al, if you want to go out with your grandmother–"
"Thanks, Dad!" Al rushed out the door while Harry chuckled to himself before turning his attention back to his wife.
"How far apart?"
"How the bloody hell should I know? Hermione's the one with the stopwatch!" She was about to say something when yet another contraction pulled her into its grips. Hermione held up one finger, followed by three and then the shape of a 'zero' with her hand so only Harry could see.
"Mummy...Mummy, are you okay?" Lily asked as she moved to an empty spot on the bed. Taking her mother's hand, she held it softly, hoping to be of some assistance. Ginny nodded emphatically. "Do something, Daddy!"
"I can't do anything, love. The baby–"
"Is coming! I've gotta PUSH!"
At Ginny's words, the room went into a flurry of activity. Hermione ran to the door, alerting a mediwitch and calling for the Healer. Molly ran inside, followed by James and Tamara. The medical staff soon followed and draping went up while gowns were donned.
"I hope it's okay she's here..." James said plaintively to no one in particular as he indicated Tamara with a nod.
"Ginny, dear, you're doing wonderfully well. Lily, why don't you stay there? James, I don't think you should be at the business end. Get your father a chair...I think he's going to pass out," Molly said like a battlefield general. She grabbed one of Ginny's legs while Hermione took the other, bending them at ninety degree angles.
"With the next one, you can go ahead and bear down, Ginny," instructed the Healer. No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than Ginny leaned forward and pushed. Harry put an arm around her as he watched what was going on; Lily stood beside Hermione, stroking her mother's quivering leg as James and Tamara looked on from just behind Harry.
Finally, after what felt like hours of pushing, a little pinkish bundle was brought into the world. Harry's eyes were brimming with tears as the little baby girl was placed on her mother's stomach. Lily stood over her mother fighting back tears as she reached out to touch the soft skin. The door opened quietly as Molly and Hermione left, motioning for Al to enter. He stood at James' side; the both of them stared with wild wonder at the squirming baby.
"Mr. Potter, do you want to cut the cord?" asked Healer Jonas. "Right here between the clamps."
Harry looked at his oldest three children and nodded at them. "You three do it. Just draw your wands and cast Severing and Cauterizing Charms."
"But Lil and I are underage," Al pleaded, casting a worried glance at Harry.
"It's fine," the mediwitch reassured them. "No one will notice a little underage magic here of all places." Al, Lily, and James moved to surround the bed, drew their wands and at the same time, cast Diffindo and Kauterio, severing the last link of baby to mother. The mediwitch took the baby across the room to clean her up, weigh and measure her.
"What're you naming her, Mum?" James asked, touching the little girl's matted brownish-red hair. "You never told us."
"Well, it's your dad's turn. I named you and Lily," Ginny said wearily.
"Oh hell, Dad, don't saddle her with a lame one," Al interrupted. "You don't have the best name selection history."
"He's right," James and Lily answered together.
"At least we got the normal names, little sis," James added.
"Hey, will someone take my side, please?" Harry whinged with a smile. "I'll have you know I've selected a very beautiful name for your sister."
"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Dad. I need to figure out an appropriate nickname to cover it up," Al said with a chuckle, ducking out of the way of James' hand. Tamara, who was standing behind Al, hit him on the head.
"Thanks, love," James said with a wink.
"Not a problem. He's being an ass," Tamara teased.
"No, he's being an ASP!" chimed in Lily, using James' old taunt. Ginny cleared her throat bringing the laughter to a halt as the mediwitch brought the now-swaddled infant back to her mother's arms.
"I'd like to have her named before she leaves the hospital. What's her name, Harry?" she asked impatiently.
"Ariana. Ariana Joy Potter." Harry smiled and looked at the five people he loved most in this world. "Good enough?"
"Perfect."
"Sweet."
"L ovely."
"Again with the 'A.' There're twenty-five other letters in the alphabet, you know." Laughter filled the room at Al's comment. "Well, there are!"
Ginny watched Ariana begin to move her mouth and turn her head to the side. "I think she wants some Mummy time, if you know what I mean."
The children grew silent, confused about the meaning of her words. Tamara, Merlin bless her, pointed out the obvious. "Unless you three want to watch your mum nurse the baby, I'd suggest we take our leave." Ginny mouthed 'thank you' to the girl.
"Nurse...? OH!" James sputtered. "Yeah, well, we'll leave you to it." He motioned for his siblings to follow, which they did rather quickly.
"I'll have to remember that one when they're hovering later on," Ginny mused as she positioned the baby and coerced her mouth open. "There you go." She smiled as the little mouth wrapped around the offered breast.
"Beautiful. Both of you," Harry said with a wide grin. "Thank you."
She sighed. "I should be thanking you. But can we have no more surprises? I'd like to enjoy my golden years."
"That's fine by me. But she's a good one, yeah?" He traced a finger over her chubby cheek, enjoying the silky texture of her skin.
"Definitely prize worthy."
"After all, the best kind of prize is a surprise."
"That was lame, Harry."
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