Prologue

Harry was anxious, pacing the sitting room of the new Weasley home, Arthur sat on the couch bopping his young grandson in his lap, Hugo giggled excited. Ron smiled from the floor where he watched over the young Potter boys as they wrestled each other, holding a sleeping Rose in his arms.

"Oi, mate, calm down you're starting to make me nervous." Harry barely heard his friend as he made another turn around the room, making sure to step over his tumbling sons, his mind was in a dizzy spiral of worry. His wife was in the next room, accompanied by his mother-in-law and Ron's wife. Ginny had just given birth to their third child.

The night was warm, the sun set not long ago and the hearth of the fireplace became home to a raging flame that was more for looks then for comfort. Arthur hissed at the young boys to stop rough housing as he settled little Hugo on the floor with pillows to help keep him sitting up. He glanced at his son ready to warn him to keep a better care of the children but Ron seemed to be entranced by his daughter, her head tucked under his chin as he held her close to his chest. Arthur smiled at the fond sight and instead separated the Potter boys himself, he set James next to Hugo and told him to be a good cousin and watch over him for a minute.

Swooping up Al in his arms he approached Harry and put a heavy hand on the young man's shoulders. Harry turned to his father-in-law, more of a real father to Harry and he seemed to calm a bit as his encouraging smile. He took Al into his arms and roughed up his black hair a bit in affection.

"Ronald's right, Harry my boy. Just relax. Molly's been through plenty of births, she knows what she's doing, Ginny'll be fine." Harry started rocking his son in his arms, Arthur was right but still he couldn't help but feel this way, the girls were taking so long.

"It's been quiet…" it was the silence that bothered the Boy-Who-Lived the most. Arthur smiled, what was going on behind those closed doors already apparent to him.

"Well," the older man said with a wide smile, "like mother like daughter." With that the man went to the room and knocked at the doors. Harry watched him wondering what he could have meant. He waited patiently as the door opened a crack and Hermione's familiar head of hair popped out to converse quietly with Arthur, after a minute the man turned and smiled at Harry and motioned him closer.

Harry felt his heart soar, he ventured forward and Arthur ushered him inside the room. Ginny lay in the propped up bed looking exhausted, her red hair originally put up nicely now tumbled in strands down her face and neck, her skin wet with sweat. She looked beautiful. Molly sat at the bedside combing her hand lovingly through her daughter's hair as they both cooed to the bundle lying preciously in his wife's arms.

The blanket the baby was wrapped in was pink. A girl, they had had a daughter! Suddenly Arthur's words made since, like Molly with Ginny, his wife had long too for a baby girl of their own. From the way they continued to fuss over the bundle he was sure they had forgotten completely that the men were waiting to hear the news. Hermione took Al from his arms and called to Molly, the older woman looked up with a start at the call and she seemed even more startled at seeing Harry in the room.

"Oh my, that's right!" she exclaimed and kissed Ginny's forehead before ushering Hermione out of the room with her to their respective husbands. Harry watched them leave with a smile but he could no longer hold his own excitement as he strolled to the bed and nestled himself down where Molly was moments prior. Ginny smiled and tilted a bit to reveal the baby in her arms, the small frail child was already asleep, exhausted like her mother, Harry reached out carefully and touched the small patch of red hair atop the baby's head.

"Sorry we didn't call you in, 'Mione and Mum just had to fuss over her and she fell asleep" she hugged the baby to her lovingly and Harry knew that Ginny must have been doing most of the fussing herself, "and Lily was so anxious to see her Daddy too."

Harry blinked looking to his wife in surprise, he had just been about ready to ask what they would name their newest child, Harry had wanted very much a daughter to name after his mother but he had never told Ginny this. It may have been apparently after the naming of their first son James that he wanted to honor his parents, but a daughter was something much more precious to Ginny then it could ever be to Harry. He felt tears stream down his face as he embraced his wife, how he loved her, so very much. Ginny let her husband hold her and took comfort in his strong arms, she glanced down at their baby girl and gave a sad smile, even now she couldn't forget...