Thanks to Tinkebell01 for all her help :)
Chapter One
The happy sound of giggles reached Harry's ears as he stepped out of the fireplace and wiped away the dust that had landed on his black suit and overcoat. He turned his neck to look around, and a smile crept across his face when he saw who the laughter belonged to. Ginny was sitting on the sofa, both James and Albus were standing around her, touching her swollen belly with their hands and pressing their ears up against her skin.
"I can hear it!" squealed an excited James. None of them were aware of the man watching them silently on the other side of the closed glass doors.
"What is he saying?" Ginny asked, brushing her fingers gently through Albus' black hair.
"He? Mummy?" James asked curiously, pulling his ear away from Ginny's stomach, his brow crinkling up in confusion and he tilted his head to one side. Ginny smiled at him. "I asked for a sister. Did God not give me a sister?"
Albus looked shocked at his brothers' comment, "Sister smelly!" he piped up with a grin. Ginny chuckled and pecked a soft kiss on the top of Albus' head.
"Al, I thought you would have had enough with one brother. Would it not be nice to have a little sister to keep safe?" Ginny asked him. Albus and James both fell silent, their sparkling eyes gazing up at her.
"I can fight anyone that touches her!" James shouted hysterically. He stepped back and spun around on the spot, kicking his foot in the air, making Ginny laugh.
"Al, honey, do you want a little sister?" Ginny asked, as Albus climbed onto the sofa and snuggled himself up against her, nodding his head as he did so. Ginny turned to look down at him, just as something caught her eye and she looked up towards the door, a huge smile breaking across her face as she saw Harry standing watching her. Albus and James turned to see what their mummy was looking at.
"Daddy!" they yelled in unison. Harry pulled the doors opened and got down on his hunkers as James ran towards him. With a wobbly Albus trotting behind, a big grin on his chubby face and they both wrapped their arms around Harry's neck.
"Hey guys," Harry greeted them, they hugged each other for a few more seconds, until James untangled his arms from around his neck.
"Mummy is giving me a baby sister!" he squealed, his eyes sparkling with delight. Harry laughed and ruffled his son's hair with his hand.
"Oh is she now? How do you know?" Harry asked, standing up to his full height, and his two sons ran back over to sit beside the swollen Ginny.
"Because I told God that I wanted a sister, and he always gives me what I want."
"Hey honey," Ginny said softly, a smile grazing her lips.
"Hey," Harry whispered, bending down and pecking a kiss on her hot cheek.
"How was work?" she asked, wrapping her arm around a tired-looking Albus.
"Busy," Harry said, sitting down on the armchair. James crawled up and sat on his lap and Harry wrapped his arms around his son.
"I hope the two of you were good for your mother," Harry said, as his son leaned his head against his chest.
"We were, weren't we?" he asked, turning to look around at Ginny, who nodded twice.
"Yea, they were very good. They even cleaned their rooms today," Ginny said and Albus smiled proudly.
"The Muggle way daddy! It took us hours," James added, and Harry knew that his son was exaggerating.
"That's good," Harry said with a smile, "Oh and I nearly forgot!" he exclaimed, remembering something. He awkwardly put his hand into the pocket of his overcoat and pulled out the two purple boxes.
At the sight of the boxes, Albus had quickly slid off the sofa and was at Harry's side, his eyes lighting up and his hands grasping the side of the chair.
"Us?" he asked, his hands beginning to twiddle with excitement.
Harry shook his head, "Oh no, they're for me and mummy," Harry said sarcastically, Ginny sighed.
Albus' and James' faces dropped in shock.
"But-but," James stuttered, "only children are allowed them, they aren't for big people," he said. There was a soft laugh and Harry turned towards Ginny to see that she was grinning broadly.
"Stop being a bully and just give them their sweets," and she leaned her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes, with a smile still on her face. Harry grinned.
"Okay, seeing that you were very good, here you go."
They didn't have to be told twice; before Harry had a chance to hand the sweets over to his sons they were already gone from his hands.
"Thanks!" James said, as Albus ran back over to Ginny, with the small box clasped in between his two hands...
With a wobble of his head, Harry shook himself out of the daydream he had been having and stared through the glass window, at the small bundle of pink blanket lying inside a basket. A clipboard with the name 'Potter' hung from it. Harry swallowed down the hard lump that had formed in his throat.
"Mister Potter?" Harry turned as a warm hand tapped his shoulder, and saw a female Healer standing beside him, holding out a cup of steaming coffee for him to take.
"Thanks," Harry said huskily, wiping the tears from his eyes and taking the cup from the girl's hands.
"I can get her for you, if you want me to," she said, also looking through the glass at the newborn.
"Could you, please," Harry said with a small grateful smile. The girl nodded her head, and comfortably touched Harry's arm before walking off.
Harry stood silently by himself in the hall and watched the little bundle move around in the basket. The door to the room, which held over a hundred newborns in see-through baskets, opened, and the healer Harry had just talked to walked in. She glided gracefully in between the baskets, coming to a stop beside the one Harry had been looking at, and gently picked the pink bundle up in her arms. She fixed the newborn and looked across at Harry, showing him a happy smile. Harry forcefully returned back and she began to make her way back out of the room.
Harry started to walk down the hall, as the healer rounded the corner, now with the bundle of blanket in her arms.
"Here you go," she said.
Harry's eyes were transfixed on the blanket, he dropped his untouched coffee down on the windowsill beside him and took the child out of the woman's arms. He felt the baby curl herself into the dents of his elbows- as if she was born to fit perfectly. Harry was lost for words as he stared down at her. Her bright red hair already visible as it escaped the pink woolly hat, she wiggled a bit. Her hands balled into tiny fists.
"Hello," Harry cooed, unable to stop the fresh tears springing to his eyes.
"I know a place where you can go," the Healer said in a whisper. Harry looked up at her; he had momentarily forgotten that she was still with them. He nodded. The Healer began to lead the way and he followed her, holding his daughter close to his chest. They didn't speak. Harry was too absorbed in his new daughter to watch where he was going, and twice he had to apologise for trodden on someone's toes.
A few minutes later, the Healer abruptly stopped walking and pushed open the wooden door they had stopped outside. She stepped back and indicated with her hand for Harry to go inside. Harry mumbled a 'thanks' to her before stepping into the room.
It had very little light, with dark coloured walls that didn't help much and was poorly furnished with only three sofas and a coffee table. Harry looked over his shoulder at the Healer, who nodded and closed the door softly behind her.
As the silence of the room enveloped Harry and buzzed loudly in his ears, hot tears started to stream down his face. He walked clumsily over to the nearest sofa and sat gently down on the cushions.
He looked down at the baby, his vision blurring with every drop of salty tear that escaped his eyes and he swiftly rubbed them away with his shaking hand.
He didn't have to worry about anybody else- Albus and James were staying with Luna and Rolf, they had slept over in their house the night before as Ginny's motherly instincts kicked in last night and she knew she was nearly due. So she demanded that the two boys wouldn't be in the house when they had to leave for St. Mungo's. Harry was glad that she had, they were most likely having a great time with Luna and her new boyfriend. Now, everything was just about him and his daughter.
Harry smiled, as he watched the pink lids flutter open and the two little brown eyes sparkle as they looked up at him.
"I'm your daddy," Harry whispered, brushing his finger against one of her warm rosy cheeks, but there was something missing- his heart wasn't pounding with the surge of love he had felt the other times he had said 'hello', all his mind could think of was- 'My Ginny died for you.