Disclaimer: I still don't own a thing. I don't own the the characters, the plot, or the magic. If I had a mind as creative as that then I wouldn't be wasting my time writing fanfictions.

Author's Note: What plot? Well, yes, it is rather plot-less. Please forgive that. It is, however, full of Potter family fluff. And we all love those second generation Potters. I haven't decided on whether or not I'll make a lot of second generation one-shots with this in other chapters, or if this will be a stand alone. I guess it depends on the results of the reviews. If you guys like it, then I'll be happy to supply you with more.


THREE'S COMPANY

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it

"No!"

James' shrill yell rang through the house, as he yanked his toy owl out of his younger brother's hands.

"Mine!" He shouted, shaking a stubby, accusatory finger at his baby brother, as if reprimanding him.

Albus promptly burst into tears at James' loud voice, his wails echoing throughout the house. They were loud enough to awaken Ginny Potter, who had finally fallen asleep after a much needed nap. Much to her dismay, the cries didn't stop, but got worse, the more time she waited.

Without much choice, Ginny swung her legs over the side of the bed, struggling to sit up with her very round stomach. She carefully crawled out of her bed and wrapped her robe around herself tightly, before making her way to her youngest boy.

As soon as she came into view, Albus' cries died down some, as his hands extended to Ginny, clearly signaling that he wished to be picked up.

"Mummy!" Albus squeaked out, his voice chocked with tears. He walked over to her and wrapped his hands around her knees.

"Albus, what's all this about?"

She picked her son up carefully, holding him against her side as she wiped away the hair stuck to his face by his tears. Her hips rocked on their own accord, easily reciting the soothing motion she had picked up since James was a newborn. Albus wrapped his small hands around his mother and clung to her tightly, his face red with what Ginny detected as anger.

"James yelled!" He accused, burying his head into his mother's shoulder to hide from his older brother's deadly glare.

"At you, Al?" She asked, slightly confused. Her eyebrow rose slightly, getting lost in her disheveled bangs. Her attention turned from her youngest son to her eldest. "James, is that true?"

Before James had a chance to reply, Albus cut him off. "Mummy, he won't let me play with Hooter!"

Realization dawned on Ginny and she shook her head disapprovingly at James. "James Sirius Potter, Daddy and I have taught you better! You share your toys with your brother!"

James only shook his head and pouted, hugging his stuffed owl to his chest. "Mine," he said softly, looking down at Hooter.

"Oh James," Ginny shook her head and sighed heavily, letting it go. She was much too tired and she was sure it would pass over.

Looking at Albus, she kissed his forehead and let him down, her eyes scanning what she could see of the house.

"Where is that father of yours, hmm?"

Ginny was going to kill him for not taking his fatherly duties seriously. She could have gotten a good hour of sleep in, if it hadn't been for him not watching the children. The children that were only four and three. They could have gotten into serious trouble in those few minutes he wasn't here. Oh, Harry James Potter was a dead man.

"How about some lunch?" Ginny asked softly, extending her hands to her two children. At the eager replies, she led them into the kitchen, sitting them at the table before she opened the cabinet. She pulled out a loaf of bread and the peanut butter, and set herself to make peanut butter sandwiches. It wasn't the most nutritious meal, but under the circumstances it would do.

James saw the peanut butter and his nose wrinkled in distaste. "I don wanna peanut butter sandwich!"

Ginny's patience slipped momentarily, and she placed the knife onto the counter, before looking at her son. "James, you will eat whatever Mummy makes you, understand?" The look she gave her son made room for no arguments. Usually when they saw it, they would know she was not in the mood to be trifled with.

Frowning, James shook his head and kicked at the leg of the chair. "No!"

Ginny leveled her son with her best Weasley glare and stood in a stance that was much like her own mother's. Unintentionally, her hands found their way to her hips and her left foot stuck out a bit.

"Are you telling me 'no', James Potter?"

Defiantly, James nodded his head once again and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes," was his answer, a bit too bold for Ginny's liking.

"Then you can go march yourself up to your room and rethink that foul mood you are in!" Ginny pointed towards the staircase, tapping her foot to show that she was not in the mood for any more naughtiness.

James looked at his mother angrily, before jumping off of his chair and shoving it so it hit the table. He scurried past his mother, who was not unknown to swat passing bottoms, before running up the stairs and slamming the door to his room.

Ginny shut her eyes and silently counted to ten, to calm herself down. Her boys ever rarely misbehaved. They were sweet tempered and good natured, and Ginny couldn't love them any more if she tried. For some reason her eldest was being

impossible to deal with today and she couldn't understand why. It was like a little monster had taken over her son.

Turning back to Albus, Ginny smiled and looked at the fridge.

"Want to get the milk out, Al?"

Albus nodded eagerly as he walked over to the fridge door and pulled out the small half gallon of milk, handing it to his mother proudly. "Thanks, pumpkin," Ginny replied, tapping Al's nose while taking the milk. She poured a glass for Albus and finished his sandwich, before placing it on the table for her son to eat.

"Mummy, aren't you hungry?" He asked, his eyes wide and serious. Ginny simply shook her head.

"Not right now. You eat up."

Albus nodded his head seriously before taking a bite out of his sandwich. Ginny took a seat next to him at the table, watching her son with a smile on her lips. He looked so much like Harry it was amazing. While James looked more like both of them, Al inherited everything but Harry's emerald green eyes. Placing a hand on her stomach, she wondered who this next one would take after. If they had another James running around the house, she would commit suicide. James, true to his name, was a troublemaker. However, he only did it with good intentions. She saw the way his eyes sparkled with pride every time he made someone laugh. Sometimes, though, he would go a little too far.

A pop in the living room pulled her out of her thoughts, as her husband came into view. Seeing him made her anger reappear, and she quickly looked away from him. Oblivious to his mother's anger, Al gave his Dad a smile full of peanut butter.

"Daddy!" Al squealed, like he hadn't seen him in years, his mouth full of food.

"Albus, don't talk with your mouth full," Ginny lightly scolded, watching her husband come in to give Albus a kiss on the head.

When he leaned over to do the same to Ginny, she abruptly stood up and made her way over to the few dishes that were piled in the sink. Thinking of nothing better to do than clean them, she started to run the water and placed detergent into the sink.

"Gin…?" Harry asked with confusion, his eyes watching her vicious scrubbing motions.

"Not now, Harry," she said nodding to Albus. She tried not to get into fights with Harry when her children were there to witness it.

Harry nodded his head and took Albus' empty plate over to Ginny, handing it to her, before going back to his son.

"How about we go on up to your room and read for a bit, Al?" Harry tried to make it sound like he wasn't trying to get Albus to take a nap. Lately, Al was at the stage where he would fight tooth and nail at the mention of a nap. Harry, not in the mood for a fight, would always try to coat it with promises of stories, to make his little boy settle down.

Albus nodded his head excitedly, getting up from his seat so he could follow Daddy up the stairs.

"There's a slight problem with that, Harry," Ginny interrupted her cleaning and turned around to look at he pair. "James is having a timeout in their bedroom."

Harry cocked an eyebrow at his wife in a silent question of 'why', before picking his youngest son up, who was getting cranky.

"C'mon, Al. Let's go to Mummy and Daddy's room!"

Albus smiled against his father, before they disappeared up the staircase, leaving Ginny to clean up the mess left behind. She sighed slowly, and began cleaning the kitchen. Before she was done, the place was immaculate, the cleanest it had been since they moved into the place.

As she waited for Harry to come back downstairs, she sat herself in the living room. She placed her hands behind her aching back, wincing at the pain. Her due date was two weeks away. How on earth was she going to deal with another little Potter? Ginny's eyes fluttered and closed, as she thought about it. If it was a boy, they were naming it Cedric. While Ginny wasn't keen on the name, it was something Harry insisted on, and quite honorably so. Cedric Remus Potter would be the name of the new addition, if it came out male. Ginny silently prayed that it would be a girl. She loved her sons, but a daughter would be nice. If it was a girl, she would be Lily Luna Potter, the same name the couple had picked out when James was born.

A gentle hand caressing her shoulder made Ginny open her eyes. She stared at her husband, expectantly, waiting for an apology.

"Ginny, you're mad at me because I left, aren't you?" To Harry's credit, his eyes lowered in shame, as guilt wormed its way into him.

"Yes, Harry. You were watching the children, while I was upstairs sleeping! You can't just abandon them! Merlin, think about all of the things that could have happened to them! You don't leave a three year old with a four year old unattended! I know you aren't that dense!"

Harry cleared his throat and shook his head seriously, his eyes searching his wife's pleadingly. "I know, Gin, and I would never have done it if you weren't upstairs. Something came up and…"

"What on earth came up that was so important that you left your children to fend for themselves, Harry Potter?"

"Well, erm…"

"I'm waiting."

"Hermione's water broke." Harry looked relieved when it was out, but felt bad. Ron and Harry had made a deal that they wouldn't tell their wives if the other went into labor. Because they were both very pregnant, the long process of watching the other's labor would do no good.

"Her… It… Oh Harry, that's wonderful!" Ginny's anger disappeared quickly and she threw her arms around her husband.

"Yes. Ron flooed and was in a state. I had to bring them to St. Mungo's. I did it as quickly as I possibly could."

"We need to go over there, Harry!" Ginny attempted to get up, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You can't go like this, Ginny. Besides, who would watch the children? The baby isn't going to come any faster if the whole Potter clan is there cheering it on."

Ginny huffed and stuck out her lower lip. "Fine. But the minute it's born, I'm going to see them! That's my niece or nephew too, you know!"

Harry let out a soft laugh before nodding his head and kissing his wife's temple.

"So, James?"

"Your son has been a right little monster since you've been gone."

Harry frowned at the news, and shook his head. "What's he done?"

"He was awful to Albus and then pulled a mini tantrum with me. I've never seen him so angry," Ginny said, sighing as she delivered the news.

"I'll go talk to him. Why don't you go upstairs and nap with Al?"

Ginny beamed at her husband and nodded her head. "Brilliant plan, Mr. Potter."

Harry followed his wife up the stairs, but stopped at his sons' room, instead of following her to the master bedroom. He knocked on the door once, before opening it. The sight before him caught him by surprise, not at all what he was expecting. Normally, if he or Ginny sent one of their children for a time out, the child was repentant and full of apologies by the time one of them came up to talk with them. This was obviously not a normal case. There was something going on with his eldest son besides just simple misbehavior.

The side of Albus' room was completely messy, obviously the result of one of James' tantrums. A small bag was placed on James' bed, filled with his clothes and his favorite stuffed animals. Harry quietly shut the door behind him and looked at James, who had failed to acknowledge his father's presence.

"What's this?" Harry asked, motioning towards the bag of clothes.

"I'm leavin'" His son's simple reply was sharp and sorrowful.

"Where you goin'?"

James simply shrugged and turned further away from his father. "I'm runnin' away. I'm not 'posed to tell you where I'm goin'."

"Running away, eh? Are you sure you want to do that?"

James simply nodded his head defiantly, his eyes never leaving the carpet. Harry sighed heavily, walking in front of James to make his son look at him.

"James, c'mon. Enough is enough."

Much to Harry's bewilderment, James shook his head and threw the bag of clothes on the floor, cluttering the room even more.

Harry reached out to hold him, to stop him from kicking and potentially hurt himself. James just kicked his father as well, elbowing his in the process.

"James Sirius Potter, I think you need to cool off," Harry said sternly, eyeing his son with an expression of determination.

"No!"

Turning James around, Harry walked him over to the furthest corner in the room.

"I want you to stay in this corner until I tell you to come out. Understood?"

James nodded his head as Harry took a seat on his son's bed. Harry was acting on pure instinct. He had never really had to punish one of his children before. Ginny normally took care of that for him, as Harry was the softie. But his wife needed her rest, and Harry simply couldn't allow James to get away with his awful behavior.

Harry glanced at the clock, the face of it surrounded by whizzing brooms for décor, and settled on ten minutes. Ten minutes seemed an appropriate amount of time for his four year old to stand in the corner. Although, he was no expert. Ginny was much better in this department, with all of the siblings she had growing up.

Keeping one eye on the clock, and one eye on his son, he watched James start to shift from one foot to the other. His position of defiance changed, and his shoulders slumped forward. His head faced downwards, and Harry thought he heard a sniffle coming from that direction.

As the last minute was up, Harry cleared his throat and gave all of his attention to the corner.

"Okay, James. You can come out now."

Harry hadn't expected his son to come flying at him, with tears running down his cheeks. He hugged his son back, tightly, rubbing a hand over James' back.

"I-I s-sorry, Daddy!" Harry listened to his little one cry, and pulled him onto his lap.

"Oh, James," Harry's hand went from James' back to the ends of his hair. It gently wove through the hair at the bottom of James' scalp, a soothing motion Harry learned long ago worked for his oldest son. He reserved it just for him.

Harry's free hand tapped James' temple gently, as Harry looked into his son's eyes.

"I want to know what's going on up here. Why were you so naughty today, baby?"

James sniffled and wiped a sleeve over his running nose, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry!" He repeated, clearer this time, now that he had Daddy's comfort.

"You're forgiven, James. I just want to know what has you so upset."

"When the baby comes, you won't love me anymore! You can only love two babies! You usta love me and Al, but now the baby will come! I'm oldest, so I'll be kicked out!"

Harry tried to follow his child's reasoning, but honestly couldn't make sense of it.

"Baby, Mummy and I could never stop loving you. We'll love your brother or sister just as much, but you'll always be loved in a different way. You're our oldest, our first born. We'll always love you longest, James. Remember that for me, okay?"

Harry planted a kiss on James' forehead as James clung onto his Daddy tightly.

"Promise?"

"Swear."

At that James smiled through his tears, and rested his head on Harry's chest.

"How about we join Mummy and Al for a nap, eh?"

James nodded his head as Harry picked him up and carried him to their bedroom. He smiled gently at his wife and son, Ginny curled protectively around Albus, and climbed into bed. He placed James next to him, so both children were in the middle, while him and Ginny were on the outside. He couldn't have one of them falling out.

James fell asleep almost instantly, as Harry's hand wove through his son's hair. Eventually he drifted off as well, feeling like his world was perfect. He had the perfect wife and the perfect family. He wouldn't trade it for the world.

It wasn't long before Ginny woke up, her stomach growling. She slowly got out of bed and looked at the scene in front of her. She frowned at the track of tears still stained on James' cheeks, but knew Harry must have taken care of it. Leaning over Albus, Ginny brushed the hair out of James' face and kissed his cheek.

"Sleep well, Angel."

Ginny started walking out of the room to make herself food, but stopped when she heard James' voice.

"I love you Mummy."

Ginny smiled at the sleepily muttered words, knowing her son was already fast asleep once again.

She had never been happier to hear those words.


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Tell me if you hate it, or if you liked it. A simple acknowledgment would be amazing!

xo Mur