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As the pair watched the train disappear into the distance, Ginny sighed and sagged into her husband’s embrace.
“Is this how mum felt when I left for Hogwarts? I should get her flowers.” Ginny grumbled, glancing away from Harry to subtly wipe a tear from her cheek. He chuckled softly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
“It probably was. Her last baby, going off to school.” Harry smiled, fighting the urge to tear up as well, thinking about his baby girl trying to find her cousins on the train as she nervously began the journey of her first year at Hogwarts.
“I think I elbowed my way into Fred and George’s compartment before they pawned me off to Percy. I hope the boys are good to her until she’s settled in.” she mumbled anxiously, still staring at the place where the train had disappeared.
“I’m sure they will be. And if they’re not, I’ll bet you a Galleon that Rose will have their arses.” Harry joked, making Ginny snort and gently whack his stomach with her palm.
“Shall we get some ice cream before we go home? I asked for the whole day off due to emotional distress.” she mumbled, making Harry believe she wasn’t entirely kidding.
“I’ve got to be in at five for the night shift. It’d be a shame to waste it.” he smiled, taking her hand and waiting until she’d nodded before turning on the spot.
When they reappeared on the streets of Diagon Alley, they walked over to the ice cream shop that had opened in place of Fortescue's after the war.
Once they’d had their ice cream, they wandered around a few shops, stocking up on some things they needed around the house before Apparating back into their sitting room. They put their purchases away before collapsing onto the couch with equally tired groans. Ginny shifted to curl into Harry’s chest, resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his stomach, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“You hear that?” he asked after a few minutes. Ginny furrowed her brows, straining to listen to whatever Harry could be hearing before glancing up at him.
“No. What?” she asked, sitting up slightly.
“The beautiful sound of silence.” Harry joked, laughing when Ginny groaned and flopped backward on the couch.
“That was awful.” she groaned, but let Harry haul her back up and into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and cuddling her close.
It was true, though, that their house for the majority of the summer sounded similar to a summer camp with all of the kids running around. And when the kids weren’t at their place, they were at The Burrow or at Ron and Hermione’s, but more often than not, Harry and Ginny had accompanied them to either place and had never escaped the noise of loud children.
“I feel like we should take advantage of it. Maybe there will be a plus side to not having any kids in the house.” Harry grinned teasingly, squeezing Ginny’s hips. She just scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“If this is you trying to seduce me, Harry James Potter, your methods are a bit sad.” she narrowed her eyes challengingly before moving to slide off his lap.
He tightened his grip, though, hauling her back into his lap, a squeal of surprise escaping her lips. He tugged her down into a kiss, her lips parting automatically under his. She cupped the back of his neck, running her fingers through his messy hair, and he gripped her hip with one hand while the other slid around to squeeze her ass. She hummed into his mouth, pulling back a fraction to grin teasingly about him.
“That’s better.” she laughed softly, leaning in to nip at his lower lip before diving in to kiss him again. And, okay, maybe this whole, no kids in the house, thing had its benefits.
~~~~~
They didn’t have much time to enjoy the quiet house before Ginny’s mood began to decline. She’d always worked incredibly hard at whatever she did but over the few weeks she’d been exhausted from writing, reporting on matches, and coming in occasionally to help coach for The Harpies. She always came home exhausted now and, if Harry weren’t afraid that his wife would castrate him in his sleep for this, he had half a mind to march into her boss’s office and tell him to give her fewer hours.
He could also tell that she was stressed about Lily. They hadn’t gotten as many letters from their daughter as they’d hoped and since Harry hadn’t gotten any reports from anyone in the family about Lily struggling or not making friends, he chose to believe she wasn’t writing because she was enjoying herself so much she didn’t remember to write home. Which stung all the same but at least he wasn’t worried about his baby girl hating her year at school.
Meanwhile, Ginny had a completely different experience in that she hadn’t written to her parents when she was struggling during her first couple of years at school and once she began enjoying herself, she wrote to them more. She was afraid that Lily was doing the same thing. She didn’t know how well Lily was doing in school or how well she was doing with making friends given that no one else in the family had been sorted into Ravenclaw until her. She was almost certain that Luna’s twins would be sorted into Ravenclaw as well, only they were a year behind Lily and Ginny didn’t know of anyone else who’d been sorted into Ravenclaw.
In short, Harry believed that Ginny was stressed over Lily’s schooling and being overworked, which was why she was so exhausted all the time now.
So, it was no surprise to him when Ginny woke up almost two months after Lily left for Hogwarts feeling like she’d been run over by the Knight Bus.
“You can’t even get out of bed, love. I’m Owling your office and telling them you’re not coming. Can I get you anything?” Harry asked softly, running the tips of his fingers gently across his wife’s back. She groaned into her pillow, rolling onto her side to stare up at Harry, taking a few moments to swallow hard so she wouldn’t vomit all over him the second she opened her mouth.
“A new immune system?” she pouted, flashing her sad brown eyes at him. He chuckled softly, leaning down to kiss her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin for a few moments before pulling back.
“You’re not warm. Maybe it’s something you ate.” he suggested, making her groan when she thought of food.
“Hermione and I had the same dinner last night. Owl Ron and ask if she’s ill too. Then we’ll know.” she told him before rolling back over to bury her face in the pillows.
“I will. And I’ll make you some ginger tea. That should help your stomach.” he said, leaning over to kiss her shoulder before getting up, leaving the door cracked in case she needed him.
~~~~~
Hermione wasn’t ill, as it turns out, so Harry figured it was some sort of bug. Especially when she’d felt marginally better after getting sick a few hours after waking up then collapsed onto the couch for the rest of the afternoon, tucked into Harry’s side as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“Are you feeling any better?” Harry asked after a while since it had been at least an hour since she’d groaned and clutched her stomach.
“I’m not actively worried about having to clean the carpet if that’s what you mean.” she grumbled, glancing up at Harry, who just brushed her hair back off her forehead.
“I suppose that’s a bit of what I meant.” he rolled his eyes, reaching to check her for a fever again. Still nothing. “Can I make you some toast and another cup of tea?” he asked, sighing when she went a slight shade of green.
“Do I have to?” she asked pathetically, breaking Harry’s heart.
“You’ve got to eat something, love. You haven’t eaten anything since last night and you’ve only managed one glass of water since you got sick.” Harry pushed back, tapping her side so he could slide off the couch.
“I hate when you’re right.” she groaned, crawling off the couch after he did, returning when her heating pad; one of the Muggle devices Hermione swore by until Ginny got curious enough she purchased one herself. She’d never regretted it a day in her life.
“Can’t catch a break, can you?” Harry asked when he came back and saw her curled into a ball with the heating pad on her stomach.
“I’ve been cramping for a week. Not sure why.” she mumbled, sitting up so she could take the cup of tea from Harry.
“We’re going to bed early tonight and if you’re not feeling better by tomorrow, we should go see a Healer.” he suggested, kissing her temple when she just groaned.
“You need to go to work tomorrow. I’ll be fine either way.” she told him, taking a sip of tea and a small bite of toast. He glanced at her questioningly but when she managed the entire slice of toast, he didn’t question her.
~~~~~
When Harry woke up the next morning, his heart sank when he realized Ginny wasn’t in bed with him. He hoped she’d just gotten up early to make a cup of tea but his hopes were dashed when he heard a groan from the bathroom.
He was up in an instant. He knocked on the door a few times, but it was more of a cursory gesture because he didn’t wait for her to respond before he was pushing the door open. Ginny was resting with her forehead on the closed toilet lid, her red hair pulled back in a loose bun. She didn’t look up when Harry entered, but she sunk back into his embrace when he sat down behind her.
“You should’ve woken me up.” he mumbled softly, leaning forward to kiss her bare shoulder.
“I think I just needed to get it out of my system. I’m not so nauseous anymore. Just a bit dizzy.” she told him as he began to rub circles on her back.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked softly, moving his hand to scratch gently at her scalp.
“A glass of water?” she requested softly. He immediately scrambled up and filled a glass for her from the sink. He sighed when he saw her hand shaking as he handed it to her. She downed it quickly and when, in five minutes, it hadn’t come back up, she held her hand up for Harry to help her back to bed.
“We should go see a Healer. You’ve hardly eaten and you’re still getting sick.” he sighed, tucking the covers up to her chin.
“I feel a bit better now. If I’m not better by tonight, I’ll go tomorrow morning.” she promised, smiling softly when Harry kissed her forehead before groaning. “I swear I haven’t been this ill since I was pregnant with Al.” she commented vaguely but she felt Harry stiffen beside her.
“Ginny…” he mumbled, trailing off.
“Harry, no. I’m thirty-eight. That ship has sailed. Plus, I took the potion every time.” she said before a thoughtful look crossed her face. “I think.” she mumbled, trying to keep track, then groaning when it made her head hurt.
Harry glanced at her, still concerned and definitely believing they should go see a Healer if there was a chance she could be pregnant.
“I’m not popping out another child, Potter. Don’t give me that look.” she grumbled, already half asleep. He laughed, shaking his head fondly before leaning forward to kiss her forehead and cheek.
“Alright, love. I’ve got to go to work but I’ll tell the office that you’re ill and I might have to go home early, so if you need anything, just send me an Owl.” he told her, waiting until she nodded before giving her another kiss then going to get ready.
~~~~~
Ginny didn’t get sick again, but she was nauseous for most of the day for the next two days before she decided to go see a Healer. She hadn’t told Harry that she was still feeling ill because he’d already worried his way to a few more grey hairs and he couldn’t afford to miss any more days of work. So, she went alone. She answered all of their questions, endured all of the tests, spells, and examinations, and all while fighting the urge to throw up her meager breakfast of one piece of buttered toast all over the floor.
Once it was all over, she Apparated home and spent the afternoon scrubbing the few dishes in the sink over and over before sitting down on the couch to read a book but instead ended up staring off into space for most of the afternoon.
She was snapped out of her daze once and for all when a loud crack announced Harry’s arrival home.
“Hi, love. How was your day?” he asked as he rounded the corner, leaning down to press a quick kiss to her lips.
“Um, it was… interesting.” she mumbled, catching his hand as he tried to pass her before tugging him down onto the couch.
“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked, his hands fluttering to check her over for any cuts, bumps, or bruises.
“Nothing’s wrong. But I went to see a Healer today.” she started before immediately getting interrupted.
“I thought you said nothing was wrong! And you told me you were feeling better.” he exclaimed, quieting down when she waved a hand to shush him.
“I haven’t puked my insides up in the last few days, but that didn’t mean I felt normal. But everything’s okay. I’m not dying or anything.” she told him, wringing her hands.
“I’m sending a, “but” somewhere.” he mumbled, watching as she took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut.
“I’m pregnant.” she stated, squeezing her hands so tight she could feel her fingernails forming crescents on her palms. She finally opened her eyes to see Harry staring at her, open-mouthed and wide-eyed.
“You’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper and his eyes going even wider when she nodded. “I thought you said that was basically impossible.”
“Well, I thought so too, but I suppose I missed a potion, and, in true Weasley fashion, you knocked me up with one try.” she said, laughing softly when he grimaced, wrinkling his nose.
“Please don’t say I, “knocked you up” sixteen years into our marriage.” he groaned, making her laugh harder.
“You seem to be taking this a bit better than I did.” she admitted, taking his offered hand and sliding into his lap with a bit of help.
“Well, I didn’t want to act like I knew your body better than you did, but I watched you go through three pregnancies and you were sick like this every time. But you said you took the potion, so I believed you when you said you weren’t pregnant. But I probably was a bit more suspicious than you were.” he admitted, making her groan and flop her head onto his shoulder.
“What’re we gonna do?” she asked softly, turning her head and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. He held her tightly, finding one of her hands and giving it a squeeze.
“What we’ve always done. Figure it out. I know we didn’t plan this, but let’s be honest, we only managed to plan one of our kids. This isn’t exactly uncharted territory.” he joked, making her groan again, but she was laughing at the same time.
“Lily would be honored with such high praise. But it is a bit of uncharted territory. I mean, our youngest child is eleven, our oldest is fourteen, and now suddenly there’s going to be another baby in the family. And, let’s face it, neither of us are getting any younger. I’m thirty-eight. That’s a bit old to be having a baby.” she admitted, although she knew with the right care it was perfectly safe, it still would be strenuous on her body.
“You look just as young as the day I married you, love.” Harry mumbled, kissing her cheek. He smiled when she snorted against the side of his neck.
“You flatter me.” she mumbled softly before quickly shooting up to look him in the eye. “See, this is how we got into this situation!” she exclaimed loudly, only for Harry to burst into laughter that he quickly tried to smother in his fist while Ginny groaned and laid her head back on his shoulder. “My body knows good and well that I am every day of thirty-eight.”
“Ginny, if this isn’t something you want, I’ll be with you every step of the way and we don’t have to do this, but I think you already know that, no matter how difficult it’ll be, you do want this.” he said, rubbing her back even as she sat up, a scary look in her eye as she stared him down.
“Yeah? How?” she asked challengingly. Harry simply took both of her hands in his and smiled up at her.
“Because I’ve watched you tell me you’re pregnant three other times. You’ve always had the same look on your face. Anyone else might not be able to decipher it but, as your husband, I’ve made it my duty to memorize all of your faces. It’s a combination of nausea, terror, and anxiety, but mostly love. You’ve had that exact same look on your face this entire time. I know that some part of you already loves this baby the exact same as our other kids. If you’d still like to talk about other things we could do, I’m happy to listen but I think you already know what you want. And I always want what you want.” Harry reassured her, smiling and cupping her face as happy tears threatened to well up in her eyes.
“We’re gonna have a baby.” she whispered, her voice breaking as a few tears slipped out but she was smiling.
“Merlin’s beard, we’re gonna have four kids.” Harry exclaimed, faking fainting backward onto the couch, pulling Ginny with him, who laughed as she clung to his chest, then kissed him.
~~~~~
After several lengthy discussions of how to tell their family and their kids, they decided they should wait until the kids come home for Christmas or if they decide to meet in Hogsmeade one weekend. This didn’t feel like something to discuss over a letter. They decided to tell the rest of the family earlier, although they waited until the beginning of her second trimester which was in the middle of November.
They decided to bring it up during dinner at The Burrow with the whole family so they wouldn’t have to go through this so many times. Ginny was practically vibrating in her seat while Harry looked around paranoid thinking everyone already knew. They were eating under the heated tent in the garden since the house could no longer hold their huge family. They’d picked this night because Charlie was around for once and they wanted him to be there when they announced it, so they couldn’t chicken out.
They’d just finished dinner and Molly looked like she was about to get up to bring out dessert when Ginny nudged Harry in the ribs. His eyes widened slightly, looking to her for confirmation. When she nodded, Harry exhaled heavily. It was time.
He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention, which would’ve been quite a feat given that there were fifteen people, including Harry, at the table. When that only worked for the people in their immediate vicinity, which only included Ron, Hermione, Teddy, Victoire, and Charlie; Ginny piped up, knocking on the table like it was a door.
“Oi!” she exclaimed, catching the attention of everyone else.
“Sorry darling, it’s a bit loud. Did you have something to say?” Arthur asked, glancing from Ginny, who’d gone pale practically the second she’d gotten everyone’s attention, to Harry who was chewing on his thumbnail.
“What’s happened?” Molly asked anxiously, knowing her kids too well.
“Nothing’s happened!” Harry exclaimed quickly, too used to his mother-in-law worrying about everything under the sun. “There’s just something we’d like to tell you lot.” he added, glancing at Ginny. She glanced back at him nervously, before smiling softly.
“We wanted to tell you with everyone here that…” she trailed off, frantically grabbing for Harry’s hand under the table. He gave it a squeeze, holding on tight as she exhaled heavily. “We wanted to tell you that I’m pregnant.”
And then there was silence. Ginny was wondering if they’d made a mistake telling everyone at one time when, finally, George spoke up.
“You’re joking.” he said, not even bothering to phrase it as a question.
“We’re not joking.” Harry said, glancing nervously at Ginny who’d curled into a bit of a ball.
“Well, aren’t you a bit old?” he asked, and before Harry even knew what he was doing, he was stealing Ginny’s knife from beside her plate before she could chuck it at her brother.
“I know very bloody well how old I am, thank you! And plenty of people have babies at this age.” she exclaimed, finally glancing at her mother.
“Well, that’s wonderful, sweetheart! I think we’re all just a bit shocked, is all.” she commented but got up to hug both Ginny and Harry.
“You’re shocked?” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes, but accepted the hug from her mother.
“Is that why you’ve been so ill?” Hermione asked, to an answering groan from Ginny.
“I literally said, “I haven’t been this ill since I was pregnant” and I still didn’t put the pieces together.” she groaned, making the whole table laugh.
“Are you feeling better now? How far along are you?” Audrey asked.
“It tapered off towards the end of the first trimester. Like it always does. I’m fourteen weeks and a couple of days.” she told them, glancing around to gauge the mood of the table.
“Have you told the kids?” Percy, ever the rational one, asked.
“No. We figured we should wait to tell them in person. That didn’t feel like a conversation we should have while Owling back and forth. But we decided to tell you all first because we didn’t trust them not to blab to someone else in the family.” Harry said, making a few of them chuckle.
“Are you excited or nervous or…” Ron asked, trailing off, not wanting to say something stupid, and put his foot in his mouth in front of the entire family.
“I’m bloody terrified. It’s been over eleven years since I’ve had a baby. I don’t know how the kids will react or where we’re gonna put everyone in our house or if we’ll have to move and now we have to buy all new baby stuff because of course we got rid of it all when we decided we were done, and I am older now so everything is a bit more concerning and we’ll have to keep an eye on things. But I love being a mum and I’m excited for this change even though it’s completely terrifying.” Ginny rambled quickly, gesturing wildly before Harry laid a hand on her knee, stroking soothingly.
“Take a breath, love.” he mumbled before turning to address the table. “We didn’t expect this even a little bit. And we’re not sure how any of the kids are gonna react, especially Lily, and we’re still trying to work out the space issue since the boys are already sharing a room but they’re getting a bit too old to be doing that anyway. And it’s going to be a pain in the arse buying all of the things for a new baby again but we also know that it’s all going to be worth it when the baby arrives. Everything that seems like an issue now we can work out and everything will be worth it.” Harry said calmly, threading his fingers through Ginny’s, mirroring her smile when she glanced at him, then rested her head on his shoulder.
“And between the whole family, we’ve probably got some things laying around that we could give you that we won’t need anymore.” Bill said, only for Ginny to snort into Harry’s shoulder while he scoffed.
“Don’t count on that. You never know.” he joked, patting a teasing hand on Ginny’s belly. When the entire table burst into laughter, Ginny glanced up at her husband and smiled and they knew everything would be okay.
~~~~~
“Gin, we’re gonna be late.” Harry called through the house before rounding the corner into their bedroom and saw what was taking his wife so long.
She was seventeen weeks along and since it was her fourth baby, she’d already developed a fairly sizable bump. It could still be hidden depending on what she wore which was why she was currently trying on everything in her closet to find something to wear that wouldn’t immediately clue the kids in on the pregnancy. She’d like to actually have the conversation with them before they figured it out.
“Why in the name of Merlin did I get rid of all my maternity clothes?” she grumbled, ripping off a flowy sundress when it still showed her bump.
“Because it’s been eleven years since you had a baby.” Harry replied simply; as that’s been his answer every single time she asked a question like that over the course of the pregnancy.
“Okay well, James is going to take one look at me and know I’m pregnant. The other two might be too young to tell the difference between a baby bump and weight gain, but James will know immediately.” she grumbled, sinking into Harry’s embrace when he wrapped his arms around her and let her forehead fall onto his shoulder.
“I’ve got it.” he finally mumbled, going to rifle through his drawers before coming up with his biggest and comfiest hoodie. It was large even on him which would make it huge on her, and the pocket in the front would help obscure the bump, especially if she kept her hands in it. “And it’s freezing so you can wear your coat over it and no one will be able to tell.” he smiled, helping her tug the shirt over her head before running his fingers through her hair to smooth it back down, then kissing her forehead.
“Thank you. I know I’m just nervous.” she sighed, pushing up on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his lips before stepping back to grab her wand, and with one flick all of her clothes put themselves back on the hangers and organized themselves in the closet.
“I know. Me too, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. And even if it’s not, they’ll come around eventually.”
~~~~~
“Mummy!” Lily cried, making Harry and Ginny laugh as they heard her before they saw her. They glanced around until they saw the ball of fiery red hair running towards them. Harry could tell that Lily was about to jump into Ginny’s arms so he stepped in front of her to intercept her first, which gave Ginny time to crouch down a bit while she hugged her father.
“Nice to see you too, princess.” Harry joked, kissing the top of her head.
“Hi, Dad.” she giggled, wrapping her arms around him. He lifted her up a bit, giving her a squeeze while she laughed before he put her down to hug Ginny as the boys came into sight.
“How’s school, darling?” Ginny asked, straightening up and taking Lily’s hand as she practically bounded up and down.
“So cool! I’ve made a bunch of friends and Uncle Neville says I’m a natural at Herbology!” she exclaimed, trying to tug Ginny back towards the car before she’d hugged the boys.
“That’s wonderful, Lily, but remember he’s Professor Longbottom.” she reminded her, hiding a smile when Lily groaned.
“He told me that makes him feel old and that he was my uncle before he was a professor.” she mumbled under her breath, although she knew her mum was right.
“Too cool to hug your parents now, James?” Harry called to James who’d walked straight past them, Albus still wrapped in Harry’s arms.
"Ugh, Dad.” he grumbled when a few parents around them snickered. He went to hug Ginny first since she was the only parent available but since Lily wouldn’t let go of her hand, he wrapped an arm around her and leaned into her side.
“You need a haircut, Jamie.” she smiled, kissing his temple and brushing his hair off his forehead, making him blush.
“My hair’s shorter than Al’s.” he pointed out while Al walked over, dodging a weak smack to his arm.
“You could use a haircut too, Al. How’re you, sweetheart? All your friends good?” she asked, smoothing his hair back. She knew how good of friends he was with Scorpius Malfoy but the subject was still a bit tentative with Harry who, although had forgiven Draco, wasn’t ready for their kids to have a playdate.
“I’m good. They’re all good too.” he smiled softly, leaning into her side for a quick hug before moving away but staying close.
“Ready to head home? We should get you three unpacked before Ron and Hermione bring the kids over for dinner tonight.” Harry said, nudging them along with the flow of parents and kids moving.
~~~~~
“We’ve got to tell them before dinner tonight. Ron will run his mouth after about three helpings of dinner. He’ll get sleepy and forget what he’s not supposed to be saying.” Ginny mumbled under her breath as the pair stood at the sink peeling potatoes.
“I hate that you’re right. Why’d we invite them over the first night back, again?” Harry huffed, making Ginny laugh and knock her hip into his.
“Keep peeling those, I’ll get them down here in a few minutes.” she told him, tugging him down into a kiss before walking to the stairs and calling up to the kids. “When you three get done unpacking your trunks, could you all come down here, please? Your father and I would like to talk to you.” she called, getting a few mumbled agreements back.
She went back into the kitchen to help Harry finish peeling vegetables and while they did, she heard the kids slowly filter into the sitting room, mumbling to themselves.
“What’d you do?” she heard Albus ask James, making her muffle a laugh into Harry’s shoulder.
“Nothing! Besides, if they want all of us, it can’t just be me who’s done something. So what’ve you done?” James retorted, flopping back onto the couch.
“I haven’t done anything, either. I got caught trying to give Scorpius a Nosebleed Nougat, but I got one detention and we moved on. Hardly worth having a family meeting over.” Albus shrugged, glancing towards the kitchen when he swore he heard his mum laugh.
“Must be Lily, then.” James shrugged, only for Albus to laugh and shove him slightly.
“Come off it. It’s never Lily.”
When all three kids finally made their way into the sitting room, squished together on one couch, Harry and Ginny sighed anxiously, putting down their cooking and going to address their kids.
“Right, then. There’s something we’ve been needing to tell you three but we wanted to wait and tell you in person.” Harry started, immediately wanting to backtrack at Albus’s wide-eyed expression.
“What’s happened?” he asked frantically.
“Nothing’s wrong, darling. I promise.” Ginny reassured him, reaching over to squeeze his knee.
“We wanted to tell you that there’s going to be a new baby in the family.” Harry said, taking Ginny’s hand as they both glanced at the kids.
“Oh cool! Who’s having a baby?” Lily asked, curiously meeting Ginny’s eye. Neither of them said anything for a moment, glancing between each other and their kids. Lily and Albus looked curious and James looked curious as well but there was a suspicious glint to his gaze. Ginny sighed, giving Harry’s hand a hard squeeze.
“We are, darling. I’m having another baby.” Ginny told them, holding her breath as James grimaced and Albus and Lily looked confused.
“Gross, mum!” he grimaced, clearly old enough to understand what it meant that they were having another baby.
“You won’t think it’s gross when you’re married.” Harry told him, raising an eyebrow knowingly. James blushed bright pink and promptly shut his mouth.
“When’s it getting here?” Lily asked, gazing at Ginny’s belly.
“I’m due at the end of May.” she told them, now looking to Albus, who still hadn’t said anything.
“What do you think, Al?” Harry asked, following his wife’s gaze.
“What is it?” he asked.
“We’re not sure. It’s too early to tell and we haven’t decided if we want to find out early or not. We waited until all three of you were born to find out. We might wait again.” Ginny told them, shifting her gaze to James when he nodded.
“Where are we all going to sleep?” he asked, clearly realizing there weren’t enough rooms.
“We’ve talked about adding onto the house since it would be easier than moving. We’d need to anyway as you two are getting a bit old to be sharing a room.” Harry chimed in, to a sigh of relief from both boys.
“Thank you!” they exclaimed at the same time, making both parents laugh.
“We realize this is quite the surprise, especially since it’s been over eleven years since we’ve had a baby, and I know we’ve had a bit more time to get adjusted to the idea than you three have, but if there are any questions you have or if you’re nervous about it, it’s okay to come and talk to us. We understand it’s going to be a big change for all of us but I hope we can all get on board as a family because you’re going to have another sibling sooner than you think. The next time you three come home will be for Easter and I’ll be less than a month away from giving birth.” she told them, grinning as their eyes widened in surprise.
It was sad that the kids likely would only be able to spend a day or a weekend with their new sibling if she gave birth on time since exams were the first week of June and Ginny was due at the end of May. They would be home for the Easter Holiday on the 4th of April until the 24th, but by then, Ginny would be as big as a house, ready to pop, and likely extremely frustrated.
“Will I still be your little baby?” Lily’s small voice asked, looking over at Harry with big eyes.
“You’ll always be our little baby, princess. You just won’t be our littlest baby anymore.” Harry reassured her, scooting in beside her and tugging her into his lap.
“You’ll all always be our little babies.” Ginny grinned, scooting in beside James and tugging him into her lap, laughing as he groaned and tried to push her off, flushing in embarrassment.
“Ugh, mum!” he groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands once he escaped. While still laughing, she leaned across him and kissed the top of Al’s head, who ducked to hide his smile but groaned all the same.
“Are you sure the baby won’t have to sleep in my room?” Lily asked, making all of them laugh.
“Yes, sweetheart. We’re not making any of you share a room with a baby. You’re a bit too old for that.” Ginny laughed, smiling and shaking her head at Harry.
“Have you picked out names?” Albus asked, wondering what the next baby would be called since each of their names were significant.
“We’ve thought of a few but we haven’t settled on one.” Ginny admitted.
“If you’d like, when it gets a bit closer and we’ve narrowed it down, we could Owl you and get your input.” Harry offered, to general excitement from all three kids.
“Alright! Now if you have any more questions, feel free to ask us, but if we don’t get dinner started, then Uncle Ron will be breaking into your hidden sweet stashes you pretend not to have.” Ginny threatened, making them all laugh and race back up the stairs.
Once they were gone, Ginny sighed heavily, laughing and slumping back into the couch.
“That went much better than I thought it would.” she smiled at Harry, tugging him to snuggle into her side.
“When Lily asked me if she’d still be our little baby, I wasn’t sure which of the three of us I thought was about to start crying.” he admitted, making both of them laugh softly before Ginny got to her feet, tugging Harry along and into the kitchen.
~~~~~
“Woah, mum!” James exclaimed when they walked back into the kitchen for dinner to find that Ginny had shed Harry’s hoodie and had put on some of her own clothes so they could really see her bump for the first time.
“Ugh, I know. I feel a bit like I swallowed a melon. I wore your father’s clothes to pick you up so you couldn’t tell until we told you.” she joked, smiling when Lily ran right over, placed both hands on the sides of her belly, and kissed it.
“Hi, there! I’m Lily, your sister. I promise I won’t let your brothers pick on you. And we’ll teach you how to fly!” she said, tapping her fingers gently as she talked to the baby. And, even though Ginny knew the baby couldn’t hear Lily yet, she glanced up at Harry, tears in both of their eyes. Ginny leaned down, pressing several kisses to the top of Lily’s head, who promptly ran off to help her brothers set the table while Harry walked over to his wife and wrapped her in a hug.
“I’m way too hormonal to deal with that.” Ginny sniffled into Harry’s shoulder, gripping tightly to his shoulders.
“What’s my excuse?” Harry joked, squeezing her shoulders and kissing her forehead, chuckling softly.
“You’re an old softie, that’s your excuse.” she teased, pulling back enough to kiss him. And apparently, it was for a few seconds too long, because they heard James groan at them.
“Can you two tone it down? I’ve already had to think about this enough for the day.” he grumbled, stomping off into the sitting room to escape while they laughed behind him.
“You know we’re on our fourth baby now, right Jamie?” Ginny called teasingly after him, only for him to make an exaggerated gagging noise, which had both of them cackling.
Almost immediately, they heard a crack, and Teddy was standing in the sitting room.
“Oh thank the gods. Teddy, my parents are traumatizing me.” James grumbled, his mood immediately improving when Teddy laughed and ruffled his hair.
“I’m sure they’d never do a thing like that.” he teased, shooting a grin at Harry and Ginny over James’s shoulder.
“They’re talking about… making babies.” he grumbled softly, making it blatantly obvious it was the process that James didn’t want to discuss with his parents or be teased about.
“Oh don’t tell me there isn’t some pretty girl at school that you’d like to fool around with. See what it’s all about?” Teddy teased, making James blush and making Ginny wave her arms frantically.
“Okay, now I’m done with this conversation. That’s my baby, Edward.” she glared menacingly, although there was no heat behind it.
“Ooo, she brought out the full name.” he mumbled, grinning as he stepped away from James, walking over to hug Ginny. “How’re you? How’s the little one?” he asked, kissing her cheek before moving to help Harry with dinner after hugging him as well.
“Everything’s great. I feel like I’ve swallowed a melon.” she laughed, leaning back against the wall.
“Well, if you two need anything, let me know. I can be a bit more helpful this time around. The last time you had a baby, I was ten.” he pointed out, making Ginny groan.
“I already feel old. Please don’t.” she groaned, making both Teddy and Harry chuckle.
“You remember when we were born?” Lily chimed in, rounding the corner and plopping down on the couch.
“I do. I was almost your age when you were born.” he told her, walking over to her, picking her up, and spinning her around before depositing her back on the couch.
“What was it like?” she asked, resting her chin on the arm of the couch to watch him as he moved around the kitchen. He stayed silent for a few moments, thinking, before turning to Lily.
“It was like having a real-life doll to play with. Only a thousand times better because you can watch this doll grow and change, learn to talk, and this one can love you back.” he told her, making Ginny tear up again, especially when she glanced over and saw James and Albus listening to him intently as well. Lily just giggled happily.
“Cool.” she mumbled as Ginny walked up to Teddy and wrapped him in her arms, although now he had a good few inches on her.
“Oh, I love you.” she said fondly, kissing his cheek.
~~~~~
“Are you sure you don’t want to find out?” Ginny asked as they walked into St. Mungo’s for Ginny’s appointment with the Healer. Since she was an older mum this time around, they had more things to check to make sure everything was alright, and this was also the time they could find out the sex of the baby if they wished.
“Are you asking because now you think you might want to know?” Harry asked, glancing at his wife out of the corner of his eye.
“I’m not sure. I know we waited to find out for our other kids, but the curiosity is about to kill me this time.” she grumbled, making Harry chuckle slightly.
“Well, I’d say we’ve had quite enough surprise with this baby already. We don’t need to be surprised with the sex unless you just want to wait.” he offered, shrugging and leaving it up to her.
“What if we surprise everyone else, while we know?” she suggested, making Harry smile.
“I think we could make that work. We’ll tell them that we’d like to find out.” Harry agreed right before a Medi-Witch appeared to call them back.
After a thorough examination where it was determined that everything was going well with the pregnancy, the pair were asked if they’d like to know the sex of the baby. Harry held his breath for a moment, nodding slightly before looking at Ginny, who nodded as well.
“Right, then.” the witch agreed, mumbling a spell under her breath before smiling and turning to meet Harry and Ginny’s eyes. “Congratulations! It’s a…”
~~~~~
“Here’s another letter from Lily asking to name the baby, “Lily” . Because that wouldn’t be confusing.” Ginny laughed, rolling her eyes.
“She doesn’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl. We should just get her a cat and let her name it Lily.” Harry laughed in agreement as he brought Ginny a cup of tea from the kitchen.
“You don’t think they’re gonna ask us over and over when they get home, do you?” she asked, stretching her feet out in front of her and reclining into Harry’s side when he sat down beside her.
“They don’t know we know. And they’re not going to find out unless Hagrid told them, but I don’t think even Hagrid would ruin that surprise. He was so excited.” Harry smiled, shifting to rest a hand on Ginny’s belly and almost immediately getting kicked. “I don’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one.” Harry muttered, stroking her skin gently.
“Let’s go with good for now. And I don’t think Hagrid would tell them anything. You don’t think Teddy would tell them anything either, do you?” she asked, clearly worried about having everyone in the room together and having surprises get out.
“I definitely don’t think Teddy would say anything. He was so excited.” Harry told her, kissing her cheek reassuringly.
“When do we have to go pick up the kids?” Ginny asked a few moments later, her head laid back on the couch with her eyes closed.
“Actually, Teddy said he’d get them. He and Victoire are gonna show them around their new place. They said they’d watch them this afternoon and bring them home for dinner.” Harry told her, grinning mischievously. She raised an eyebrow and glanced back at him.
“So why’d you take off work?” she asked suspiciously.
“Neither of us can afford a long baby moon or anything but given that this is the last one, I figured we could take a day and nobody in the office would question asking off the day the kids came home for break.” he shrugged, his smile growing fonder and more mischievous a the same time.
“I love you.” she sighed happily, turning as best she could to snuggle against Harry’s chest until her belly got in the way.
“I love you, too. I thought I’d start a bath for you if you’re interested.” he offered, smiling when she leaned up and kissed him.
“Join me?” she asked, her eyes wide and pleading.
“You know that’s what got us into this in the first place?” Harry teased, already getting off the couch and helping Ginny to her feet.
“And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
~~~~~
“Mummy, did you get my letter about the name?” Lily asked over dinner, making Albus laugh.
“Did she ask you to name it Lily again?” he asked, pulling an affronted noise out of Lily while the rest of the table laughed.
“Don’t you think it’d be a little confusing to have two Lily’s in one house?” Teddy chimed in, saving her parents the trouble.
“You could number us.” she suggested, shrugging shyly.
“What if it’s a boy?” James piped up, raising an eyebrow at Lily.
“Ugh, there’s too many boys in this house already!” she groaned, crossing her arms while Harry, James, Albus, and Teddy muttered an indignant, “Hey!” at the same time. Lily just giggled, exchanging a look with Ginny.
“Have you picked names?” Rose asked from the other end of the table. Harry and Ginny shared a look and exchanged a secretive smile.
“We have. We picked one out for a boy and for a girl but we’re gonna wait until the baby’s here to see if it fits them before we decide for sure.” Ginny told them, smirking at Harry.
“And you really decided not to find out if it’s a boy or a girl again?” Molly asked curiously, obviously knowing her daughter and son-in-law too well.
They didn’t answer right away, but the way they both glanced down at the table and then at each other without meeting anyone else’s gaze was enough of an answer for their family.
“You know?!” all of their kids along with Rose and Hugo exclaimed at the same time, while the adults stared at them with shocked expressions on their faces.
“Okay! The curiosity was killing us and this whole thing was enough of a surprise. We didn’t need another one.” Ginny admitted with a groan.
“Well, what are you having?” Arthur asked, to general murmurs of curiosity from the rest of the table.
“We’re not telling. Only four people know what we’re having, including us, and we’d like to keep it that way until the baby’s born.” Ginny replied adamantly, then realized her mistake when everyone’s eyes widened.
“Who else knows?” Ron asked, glancing around the table.
“Hagrid knows. We asked him to be the baby’s godfather.” Harry admitted, turning to Ginny.
“We also asked Victoire to be the godmother, but she doesn’t know. But because Victoire and Teddy are together, the baby will basically have three godparents.” she continued, chancing a glance at Teddy.
“So, who else knows, then?” Hermione asked, glancing between Harry and Ginny.
“I do.” Teddy said, smiling at Ginny and then at Harry when he clapped his shoulder.
“And that’s enough questions for tonight about the little one.” Ginny said as Lily opened her mouth to ask Teddy a million questions. Lily grumbled to herself but listened to her mother, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Boring, but okay.” Rose mumbled to herself, but she wasn’t as good at whispering as she thought she was, and the entire table burst into laughter.
~~~~~
“Oh bloody hell.” Ginny grumbled, gripping tightly to the side of the couch, her knuckles turning white.
“Another one?” Harry asked, quickly rounding the corner from where he was making them snacks in the kitchen.
“Yeah. I know they told me false labor would be worse this time around but god, this is annoying.” she grumbled, gripping Harry’s offered hand until the pain tapered off and she took a deep breath, relaxing into the couch.
“You’ve had a few today, though, haven’t you?” Harry asked, glancing at her suspiciously.
“I dunno. I’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring them except for the last couple of hours.” she shrugged, accepting a tart that Harry offered as well as a cup of tea.
“Just promise you’ll let me know if anything changes. They told us labor would progress fast this time and you’re only a few days before your due date. I really wouldn’t put it past you to give birth early.” Harry told her, pacing nervously in front of the couch.
“Sweetheart, I appreciate the concern, but I’m not in labor. At least not yet. I’m okay, I promise. Now you’re going to be exhausted enough in a few days when the baby is here, so I suggest you sit down with me while you can.” she told him, yanking him down beside her as he chuckled softly.
“You’re right. And, you know, I could actually use a nap. We should take advantage of being able to lay in bed while we still can.” Harry pointed out, smiling when she sighed happily.
“You know you’ve been married and pregnant too long when the way to my heart is a nap.” she mumbled to herself, laughing as she let Harry help pull her off the couch.
~~~~~
“Oh, fucking hell!” Ginny groaned, practically the second she woke up a few hours later, curling in on herself as the pain of a contraction shot through her abdomen.
“Wotsit?” Harry mumbled sleepily, frantically shooting up into a sitting position.
“Nothing. Contraction.” she hissed through gritted teeth, gripping her pillow so tightly Harry swore he felt a few stitches rip.
“They’re getting stronger.” Harry said confidently. He didn’t need Ginny to tell him whether they were or not. He could tell by observing the wrinkles that appeared on her forehead as she tried to breathe through the contractions that she was in quite a bit more pain than she was before.
“It’s nothing! I’m going past due like I did with all of my kids so they can be here when the baby’s born” she replied adamantly, keeping her eyes shut tightly as she breathed through the contraction while squeezing Harry’s hand.
“Love, no amount of stubbornness is gonna keep this baby from coming now if that’s what’s supposed to happen. It’s Friday night, if we Owl the school now, they can be at St. Mungo’s around the time we get there, and they can stay until Sunday. Then they’ll still have an entire week to study for exams before they even begin. This baby isn’t waiting until after exams and if not, this is the best-case scenario.” Harry told her, watching as her expression changed several times before settling on stubborn, making him want to groan.
“I’m not going in until I know I’m in labor.” she said firmly. Harry sighed but nodded, then just moved to sit behind his wife to rub her shoulders.
“It’s your call, darling.” he mumbled, kissing her cheek, then the back of her neck as he massaged her shoulders and back, smiling when she moaned in satisfaction.
“You’re wonderful.” she mumbled, reaching up a hand to tangle her fingers in his hair, giving his scalp an appreciative scratch.
Ginny finally managed to pull herself out of bed twenty minutes later to go to the bathroom, she wished she would’ve waited a few more minutes. She’d just managed to push herself back into a standing position when she felt a pop followed by a gush of water between her legs. Her mouth fell open as the gush slowed to a trickle but continued as she stood still. Well, there’s no denying it after that.
“Harry!” Ginny called through the closed bathroom door.
“Yeah? Is everything alright?” he asked anxiously.
“Owl the school.” she responded, still not moving even as the door immediately flew open.
“Are you serious?” he asked, his eyes widening as he glanced from her to the puddle between her legs.
“My water broke.” she mumbled, staring at him wide-eyed. She watched as his expression morphed from shocked to excited. Then, he rushed forward and wrapped her in his arms.
“We’re gonna have a baby!” he exclaimed, somehow managing to pick her up and spin her around without slipping or dropping her from the awkward position he held her in.
“Ugh, Harry, I’m leaking.” she grumbled, but she was laughing into his shoulder.
“Yeah, okay, I’m Owling the school and the family, and then we’re going.”
~~~~~
“You’re almost ready, dear. Is your husband here with you?” the Medi-Witch asked Ginny as soon as a contraction ended.
“He’s here. He just went out a few minutes ago to see if our kids and our family are here.” she told her, reclining back against the pillows and breathing heavily.
“How old are they getting, again?” she asked as she mumbled a few spells to make sure everything was okay with Ginny and the baby.
“James is fifteen now, Albus is about to turn fourteen, and Lily just turned twelve.” she told the witch, who laughed and gave Ginny’s arm a pat.
“Spaced this one out a bit, did you?” she joked, and Ginny would’ve flushed if her face wasn’t already red from exertion.
“This one was a bit of a surprise.” she laughed softly before groaning as another contraction began. Right then, Harry burst through the door, panting a bit.
“Everyone’s here. The entire waiting room is red-headed.” he joked before realizing that Ginny wasn’t listening to him. He rushed over, quickly grabbing her hand and letting her squeeze it as she breathed through her contraction. Once it was over, she gasped and flopped back against the pillows. “If it’s okay, the kids wanted to see you before you had the baby, but I know you didn’t want them to see you in pain. Maybe before the next one?” Harry suggested, quickly scrambling back out of the room again when Ginny nodded to retrieve the kids. They came in slowly, with Harry in the back, holding open the door.
“Hi, Mum. It’s early. Is that a good thing?” Albus asked immediately, ever the worrier.
“It’s not good or bad, Al. It was just the baby’s time. Everything’s alright. You should be able to meet your new sibling in a few hours.” she told them, smiling when Lily’s eyes went wide.
“Good luck, Mummy.” she said, squeezing Ginny’s hand and pushing herself up on her toes as far as she would go to give Ginny a quick snuggle.
“Does it hurt?” James finally asked, taking in the sweat dotting Ginny’s brow and the grimace that she was trying to hide as she felt the beginnings of another contraction.
“Only for a few minutes at a time. But you forget all about it when you have the baby in your arms.” she told them, making sure to under-exaggerate the pain since they were old enough to understand. Once she finished speaking, she glanced at Harry, who could tell that another contraction had begun and she didn’t want the kids to see her in pain and she didn’t know how well she could hide it.
“Alright, kids. It’s time to let your mum focus on having the baby. Give her a kiss for good luck and I’ll come to get you when it’s time.” he told them, gesturing James forward first since he seemed to also be able to tell she was in pain.
Once all of the kids were out of the room, the facade dropped and Ginny was grabbing onto Harry’s hand with a death grip.
“I feel like I need to push.” she announced through gritted teeth. The Medi-Witch came over and checked her then nodded at Ginny.
“Let me go get your Healer and she’ll deliver your baby. Just hang on for a few more minutes. You’re almost ready.” she told Ginny, who nodded while keeping her eyes squeezed shut.
“You’re almost there, sweetheart. Just a few more minutes and it’ll all be over. Our family will finally be complete.” he mumbled to her as she squeezed his hand.
“What’re those anti-baby Muggle balloon things you were telling me about called?” Ginny asked, glancing up at Harry as this contraction finally passed. Harry glanced at her curiously, cocking his head to the side.
“Condoms?” Harry said curiously, furrowing his brows in confusion when she nodded.
“We’re buying condoms. We are stopping at four!” she exclaimed, groaning loudly when another contraction began. “If the Healer doesn’t get in here soon, you’ll be delivering this baby.” she griped, wanting to laugh but couldn’t when Harry went pale and immediately called for the Healer.
~~~~~
“There’s quite a large crowd out there for you three.” the Healer grinned as she came in to do a few more checks of Ginny and the baby.
“Yeah, we have a huge family.” Harry laughed, finally looking up from where he’d been staring at his new baby daughter for the better part of half an hour. She’d just finished eating and now Ginny was gently rocking her to sleep.
“I can’t believe we quite literally split our kids down the middle with their looks.” Ginny giggled, letting her forehead flop onto Harry’s shoulder. She was, of course, referring to the soft red tufts of hair on her head, making both of their boys brunettes like their father and both daughters redheads like their mother. Of course, Albus looked more like Harry and the rest of the Potters while James looked like the Weasleys except for his hair and Lily looked almost exactly like Ginny had when she was eleven. They weren’t sure what this baby would end up looking like but clearly, she’d inherited Ginny’s red hair, and Ginny could already tell that she had Harry’s lips and nose, but they weren’t sure what color her eyes would be since they were currently blue like most baby’s were.
“Should we bring them in?” Ginny asked, smiling brightly at Harry.
“I think it’s time.” he replied, unable to tame the wide smile on his face. He crawled off the bed and out the door to bring in their family.
Once there was a plethora of redheads along with the rest of their family and Hagrid somehow all crammed into their room with their three kids at the front did Harry rejoin Ginny and sit on the edge of her bed.
“James, Albus, Lily, are you ready to meet your baby sister?” Ginny asked them, smiling as their eyes lit up and they all moved closer.
“It’s a girl?” Lily asked hopefully, standing on her toes to peer into the bundle in Ginny’s arms.
“It’s a girl. Everyone, this is Ruby Nymphadora Potter.” Ginny introduced, her gaze shifting from Hagrid to Teddy.
“Like all of our kids, her name is very special. She’s called Ruby after Hagrid, and, well, Nymphadora is fairly self-explanatory.” Harry explained, smiling at Hagrid who was sniffling loudly, then at Teddy who also had silent tears running down his cheeks.
Harry and Ginny leaned back and relaxed as Ruby got passed around the room, exchanging soft and tired smiles as they watched everyone interact with the newest addition to the family. Once everyone held her, they gave her back to her siblings who wanted another look at her while she was still, miraculously, asleep. Albus didn’t seem to know what to do with her other than gently caressing her chubby cheek with one finger and Ginny had to look away from the pair when James took her and he tried to subtly wipe his eyes. Harry beamed at them. When Lily got her, they pulled her up onto the bed with Ginny so they could help her support Ruby.
“She has red hair like me.” Lily grinned up at her parents, running gentle fingers over the top of her head.
“We’ll have another twin, Lily.” Ginny grinned, running her hand down Lily’s back.
“She’s cute.” Lily giggled as Ruby blinked her little eyes open and yawned before they shut again.
“Can you believe you were this little once?” Harry asked her, laughing softly when she looked up in surprise.
“She’s gonna be the best big sister.” Teddy grinned, sidling up beside them the ruffling Lily’s hair gently.
“You and Victoire gonna have one?” Ginny whispered, laughing softly when Teddy’s eyes went comically wide.
“We’ll babysit this one and see how it goes. Not for a long time.” he rolled his eyes.
The family chatted for a while longer but eventually filtered out to leave the exhausted new parents with Ruby, with Molly and Arthur having agreed to watch their other three kids.
“Wouldn’t it be funny if we ended up with four kids each in a different house in school?” Harry commented once everyone filtered out, making Ginny snort a soft laugh.
“It certainly would be an interesting bunch. But, aren’t we already?” Ginny teased, raising an eyebrow as she took Ruby back for a feed.
“We did good.” Harry grinned, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to his wife and new daughter.
“We did.” Ginny sighed happily before turning her head to stare up at Harry. “We’re done this time, though. For real. This uterus is closed for business. Buy the baby balloons, I’ll get more potion. Four is more than enough!” Ginny said adamantly, making Harry laugh and drop his head onto her shoulder, his hot breath ghosting against her neck and making her shiver.
“I think we can manage that.”