A Long Nine Months

It was mid-August of 2006. Ginny Potter had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her second child for a while now. She sat on an examination table at St. Mungo's, ready for one of her weekly checkups. Healer Shanti Willis, who had delivered James just under a year ago, came in with Ginny's file, sat down, and thumbed through it.

"So how are you doing today, Ginny?" she asked conversationally.

"I'm ready for Albus to get here, but I can wait another three weeks."

Shanti proceeded with the usual tests and spells, and everything seemed to be in good shape until she performed the ultrasound and discovered that baby Albus was in distress.

"Looks like the cord is wrapped around his neck," she informed Ginny. "I'm going to have to perform a cesarean. Let's get you set up."

One of Shanti's nurses came in and escorted Ginny to the maternity ward. Once she was set up in a room, she sent a Patronus to her mother, Molly, who promptly showed up five minutes later in a panic, plus one more to her husband, Harry.

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"Harry!"

Twenty-six-year-old Harry Potter looked up from his paperwork as his brother-in-law, Ron Weasley, came bursting through the door to his office.

"They're calling a meeting in the conference room," the redhead informed him. "Another Death Eater's been captured and is awaiting…"

Before he could finish, though, a silver doe entered the office. Harry wasn't prepared for what the Patronus was about to say.

"Harry, you need to come to St. Mungo's. NOW. Something's wrong with Albus!"

And the doe dissipated, leaving Harry staring white as a sheet as the fine mist vanished. It took him a moment to register the fact that Ron was watching him with concern. He shook himself and composed himself enough to say, "I'm going to St. Mungo's. Tell Robards I'm sorry, but I need to go."

After giving some extra instructions to Ron, he took off to the Floo that was connected to St. Mungo's and arrived in a stumbling, sooty mess. He vanished the soot from his clothes and hair as he ran full-pelt past his family in the waiting room and up the stairs to the maternity ward. He stopped when he found Shanti.

"How is she?" he asked, panting for breath.

"We're going to have to do a cesarean," Shanti explained. "The cord is wrapped around Albus's neck, but he'll be fine once we get him out."

Harry nodded and entered the room where his wife lay.

"Harry, I thought you weren't going to come! I'm sorry, I know you've been busy lately and I wasn't sure if my Patronus would even make it to – "

Harry kissed her to cut her off. "You're more important," he said.

Shanti returned and handed Harry scrubs to put on and in moments they were on their way to the delivery room. Shanti began the cesarean, worried that if they waited any longer Albus would be stillborn. It took her a while, but she finally located Albus and started to pull him out. She untangled the cord around his neck and he let out an almighty cry as if to say, "I'm here!"

Some of the color returned to Harry's face as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Hello, Albus, I'm Mummy," Ginny said once Shanti had cleaned him up and handed him over to her. She held him for some time before handing him off to Harry.

"Ah! You look just like me!" Harry remarked as he handed Albus to the nurse to take him to the nursery. "Poor thing…"

"Harry, we need you to go with Albus and see to him while we're fixing Ginny up."

Harry kissed Ginny's head and followed the nurse out the doors.

Little did he know that at that moment, it could have been the last time he would ever see his wife alive.

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Harry entered the waiting room and was immediately met with a hoard of Weasleys.

"Harry, how's Ginny?"

"Is the baby okay?"

"What does he weigh?"

Harry stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled to get their attention.

"One at a time, folks. They're finishing her up, she did fine, Albus is okay, and he's about six pounds," he informed the family. He felt little hands pull on his pants leg and looked down to see James.

"Where Mummy?"

"Mummy had your baby brother. We'll see her real soon." Harry lifted James into his arms and led Arthur and Molly to the nursery.

"They're keeping him here overnight because of the cord being wrapped around his neck. They want to make sure he's okay."

Molly instantly started cooing her newest grandchild. "Awwh, he's precious! Hello, Albus, I'm your grandma." Molly rubbed Albus's little head.

"He looks like you, Harry," Arthur commented.

"Just his luck, eh?"

"Baby, dass muh baby bwudduh," James said, causing the adults to giggle.

Unfortunately, the happy moment came to an end almost as soon as it had begun.

"Um, Harry."

Harry turned to see Shanti standing there with a look on her face that scared him. The color that had returned to Harry face fled instantly, making him look white as the walls around him.

"Can I talk to you?"

Harry nodded and handed James to Arthur, mechanically following Shanti out into the hall. His heart was pounding rapidly – nothing could prepare him for what he was about to hear.

"Is everything okay?"

"She had a uterine rupture after you left with Albus. She started bleeding and, well… We tried to stop it. I put her to sleep to try to do more, but I'm going to have to remove her uterus to stop the bleeding. That means she won't have periods anymore and won't…"

"Have another baby," Harry finished, staring into space.

Shanti nodded. "When Ginny recovers and if you two want to have another one, we can discuss the options."

Harry nodded, feeling like his entire world was falling down around him. "You said something about needing permission," he said, his voice cracking.

Shanti handed him the waiver form to sign. "She's not out of the woods yet. She should be done in about an hour."

Harry nodded and asked the question that was burning in his mind. "How close did I come to losing her?"

Shanti sighed. "Very."

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Harry waited until he was alone before he fell back against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He placed his hand over his face and let out the emotions that he'd been holding in for the last five minutes.

"Harry."

He looked up as his mother-in-law lowered herself to the floor before him.

"What happened?"

Harry explained what Shanti had just told him. Arthur came out with James and found Molly crying and Harry looking red and tear-stained. Molly told him what the Healer had said. They told Harry they'd tell the family and give him some time alone.

There was a collective gasp as they relayed the news to the others, who then went on to have separate conversations, all incredibly worried.

Harry without Ginny was something that no one could or would imagine. It was unbearable.

Ron handed Rose to Hermione and left to find Harry. He walked until he came to the nursery and sat down beside his only brother-in-law.

"I came so close to losing her. I can still!" Harry looked up at Ron with tears streaming down his cheeks. "How am I supposed to raise two boys by myself?"

Ron gathered Harry in a hug, not noticing Hermione enter the room until her arms were wrapped around the both of them. "Ginny is too stubborn to let go – she'll be fine, Harry," she assured him once they parted.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell her."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a puzzled glance. "Tell her what, mate?"

"That she can't have more children. I know she wanted at least one more."

Ron and Hermione sat with Harry until visiting hours in the nursery were over. The three friends walked back to the waiting room together, and Harry sat down in the seat next to James. He watched his son sleep curled up in his chair, blissfully unaware of how close he had come to losing his mother.

"Harry."

The room full of Weasleys and Potters turned to the door, where Shanti was waiting. Harry felt his stomach knot up and what little color had returned to his face was quickly lost once more.

He turned to Molly, his voice cracking as he said, "Mum." That was all it took for Molly to follow Harry and Shanti out the door.

Shanti led them to an empty room and closed the door.

"The surgery was a success."

Harry literally deflated as Molly collapsed in the chair behind her and burst into tears.

"She's being moved back to her room as we speak. Harry, I assume you're staying with her?"

Harry nodded his head, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Once he found his voice he said, "Thanks, Shanti. How long will she be here?"

"If she does well and seems to have no problems, she can go home at the end of the week. We'll keep Albus for that long as well, given his…dramatic entrance."

Harry nodded and turned to Molly, who had calmed herself enough to speak. "Don't worry about Jamie, dear. Arthur and I can keep him."

"You can see her in an hour," Shanti said. "I'll be here to answer any questions or concerns you may have."

Harry nodded and hugged her. "You saved her life, thank you" he squeaked. Shanti returned the hug and led Harry and Molly back to the waiting room.

Just outside the door, Molly stopped and gathered Harry in one of her bone-crushing hugs, which Harry returned.

"Thank you, Mum, I don't know what I'd do without you."

They entered the waiting room, and all conversation stopped.

"She's okay. The surgery went well, she's been moved to her room and we can see her in an hour."

The family collectively sighed in relief. Ron got up and engulfed Harry in a hug. "Don't worry about work, mate, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Ron." Harry followed Ron to his seat and stopped at Arthur, who handed him a still-sleeping James. Harry held his oldest son for the hour they were waiting to see Ginny. Some of the family went on home. When Shanti came to tell them that they could see Ginny, all that remained were Arthur, Molly, Harry, James, and Ron, who had sent Hermione home with Rose to get some sleep. He didn't want to leave Harry until he knew Ginny was really okay.

Arthur and Molly stayed long enough to see Ginny and took James home with them. Ron quickly followed.

Harry settled himself in the chair beside Ginny. He looked over to his left and found the cot set up. He yawned and decided to get some sleep. Ignoring his growling stomach, he settled down and was asleep in an instant, letting the exhaustion of the day's events overtake him.

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Ginny awoke to find herself in a hospital room, the events of last night flooding back to her.

"I see you're awake."

Ginny looked up and found Shanti standing in the doorway.

"I wanted to check and see how you were doing this morning."

"What time is it?" Ginny asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Six-thirty. Do you remember what happened?"

At a shake of Ginny's head, Shanti pulled up a chair and explained everything. Her patient was quiet, taking in all Shanti had told her before asking after Harry. Shanti pointed to the cot, where the young father lay fast asleep with his glasses crooked on his nose. Ginny could tell from his still-puffy eyes that he'd been crying. She knew that one of his biggest fears in life was losing her.

"I'm going to make rounds. I'll see you later. You can shower, walk around, and go see Albus. Eat something, too. I know Molly will be here with breakfast before too long. Now, the only instructions I have for you are to take it easy, take care of yourself, and no lifting anything heavy, including James."

"Thank you, Shanti." Ginny looked over at Harry as Shanti left the room. "Harry."

His emerald-green eyes, red from crying, blinked open. "Gin," he muttered, rubbing one eye and sitting up before reality hit. He shot off the cot and gently gathered his wife in his arms. "That was the scariest eight hours of my life. I thought I lost you!"

"Shanti told me everything," Ginny said. "If I don't have a uterus, that means I can't have another baby?"

Harry's nod brought the reality flooding in. Ginny let the tears fall from her eyes as he gathered her in his arms again.

"Shanti said that we have options. Exactly what they are, she didn't say. But we can discuss that when Albus is older."

Ginny nodded and allowed her husband to cuddle her. The moment was broken quickly, however, as Harry's stomach rumbled loudly. He winced at the hunger pain in his stomach.

"You haven't eaten since when?" Ginny asked dryly.

Harry took a moment to recall, and when he did, his stomach gave another angry, painful growl.

"Yesterday at breakfast." He pressed a hand to his angry stomach, trying to calm it. Luckily Molly showed up five minutes later with breakfast for the both of them. Ginny spent the rest of the day resting, showering, and going with Harry to visit Albus.

They fell into this pattern for the next ten days. Harry was given time off to take care of the Ginny and the boys.

Ginny went back to work when Albus was six months old. She loved being a mother, but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she could have another baby, specifically a girl. Seeing Harry with his nieces, particularly Rose and Victoire, she knew he would love to have a daughter, but she knew it just wasn't in the cards for them. Unless…

She brought the subject up one night after Albus's first birthday.

"I'm ready to talk to Shanti about our options for another child."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked as he slid into bed.

"Positive. I want to try for a daughter."

"Okay, let me know when and I'll go with you."

Ginny fell asleep that night dreaming of having a little girl. She just didn't know how she was going to get there.