Quick note: I know that the order of some of these births is not quite canon, and also for some of these kids I don't know what their canon ages are even meant to be, but this is how I imagined it all. Please don't tell me that James is meant to be older than Rose, because I know. I know everything about HP, this is not new information to me, but this fan fiction. It's not that serious; if you want to read perfect canon, go read a Harry Potter book.

This was so fun to write, please enjoy!

Ginny guessed that Hermione had delighted in writing the note, which was cryptic and terse and completely unsatisfying to a new aunt.

Come see the baby, it said, followed by her signature. Nothing more; not a name or time of birth or a weight. Just come, a tantalizing piece of hopeful news written in slightly wobbly script.

Ginny was in Spain to report on a Quidditch game, and she wouldn't be able to get to the Burrow until the next morning. She knew the game would last well into the night, and there was no point in Apparating home and waking everyone up once it had finished. So she wrote back and promised to come as soon as she could, and then spent the day interviewing players from both teams, the Spanish ones with a translator by her side, and making absentminded mistakes in her notes. Later inspection would find that she had misspelled "Quidditch"6 unique times in 6 unique ways; how could anyone spell anything with the promise of a new niece at home?

Harry sent a note too, telling his wife that he was in a similar situation with a long night shift ahead of him. She was pleased that he would have to wait as long as she, and slept fairly easy after the hard-fought game ended around 1 in the morning.

She arrived at the Burrow the next day when the sun was just starting to come up; trying to sleep any later was as useless as trying to sleep in on Christmas morning. The Dutch kitchen door was half open, and she went in to the house to find Ron asleep, fully clothed and face into the cushions, on the couch. No one else seemed to be about, but then Ginny heard voices upstairs, and went to follow them. Her ascent was quickly interrupted by her mother and Charlie coming down.

"Oh, Hermione will be so thrilled you've come," her mother said, squeezing Ginny's face in her hands. She was clearly bursting over with joy at meeting another grandchild, and even Charlie was glowing a little.

"What is Ron –"

"He was exhausted," Molly said in a lowered voice. "And he wouldn't rest so I locked him out of their room to stop him from fussing. I'm so glad he made his way down here; you really should have heard him protesting, as if we aren't perfectly capable of taking care of Hermione for a bit." She sounded slightly offended.

"And the baby?"

"Perfect. An angel. But you should go meet her, and let Hermione tell you more," said Charlie, headed towards the kitchen. "And we can go have breakfast."

"All grown up, and still needs his mother to cook him eggs." But Molly was pleased, and they made way for Ginny to go up.

"Don't wake the baby," she heard Charlie say as they tiptoed around Ron, and she smiled to herself.

At the very top of the house, Ginny found a door slightly ajar, and she pushed it open to peek her head in. Ron and Hermione had moved into his old room, with a larger bed added, for a little while so that the Weasleys could help them as much as possible. Even Hermione, usually proud to a fault, could admit that there was no one better than Molly Weasley to help with a new baby, and they planned to stay for a few weeks. Someone (she suspected Fleur, whom she was sure had already been and would have tutted at the boyhood décor), had draped the walls with very pale pink cloth, and almost none of the orange Chudey Cannons memorabilia showed through. In the early morning light, the effect was stunning, and Hermione looked peaceful and perfect in bed with the baby. She was laying on her side, just staring down at this wonderful new thing that had entered her life. All Ginny could see of the bundle was a shock of red hair, and she moved closer.

"You're mean," she said as Hermione looked to her and smiled, her eyes sleepy. "That cryptic little letter drove me crazy."

"We had to send a lot of those," said Hermione in self-defense. "Molly offered to do it but I wanted to myself, so I just made it simple."

Ginny settled into bed with Hermione and the baby, staring down at the darling little face. She was an aunt many times over, but this part never failed to bring her nearly to tears.

"She's my favorite yet," Ginny breathed, snuggling close to them both.

"You must say that about all of them."

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter. How long are you going to withhold her name?"

"It's Rose."

"Rose."

"And I suppose you think that's the prettiest name yet?"

"Better than those fancy French ones, definitely."

Hermione laughed quietly, and smiled in a way that seemed, somehow, more mature than the last time Ginny had seen her only a few days before.

"Rose is a French word too, you know."

"Be quiet, 'Mione, you're delirious."

They just lay together for a long while, and Hermione gave Ginny the chance to hold Rose. After a bit she began to fuss, but settled immediately once back in her mother's arms. Downstairs, dishes were clattering, and the smell of bacon made Ginny realize just how hungry she was.

"You're such a natural, Hermione. To think you were so panicked, reading all those books and crying when you couldn't control Teddy."

"Teddy did have me worried," Hermione admitted. "You know he's a handful, and being alone with him for a whole afternoon had me completely fried. I really thought at that point that I wouldn't know what to do when she came."

"She seems very well-behaved so far."

"Yes, her I can handle," said Hermione as she smoothed the little girl's tuft of hair. Rose stirred a bit, and reached one tiny hand out of her blanket.

Footsteps were coming up the stairs, and soon Ron appeared in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Hi, Gin," he said, but it was almost like she wasn't there for how quickly he focused on Hermione. "I'm sorry to have left you, babe. Mum tricked me. Percy's here, but I've told him to wait a minute before coming up."

"Percy's already been twice," Hermione whispered to Ginny, and they giggled. "He keeps making excuses to come back. He got here first of everyone and claimed Audrey couldn't come, so of course he had to bring her after dinner yesterday."

"He's got the girls this time," Ron said, leaning on the doorjamb and stretching. "I suspect he waited to bring them so he could drag it out even more. George is down there too, but he didn't mention anything about coming up. I think he's just being selfish and hoping to encounter a babysitter."

"Percy's always been the sensitive one, even though he's tried to keep it a secret. I'll tell him to trade places with me." Ginny said, and she got up to go hug her brother.

"Cool, isn't it?" he whispered as she pulled away, boyish grin darting across his face, and she nodded.

"The coolest."

As she left them she heard the bed creak as Ron settled in where she had been, and she smiled to herself when she heard him whisper Hello in a baby voice.

Percy was sitting at the kitchen table with a struggling Lucy on his lap, attempting to feed her scrambled eggs. Her sister Molly was sitting on a stack of cookbooks just next to them, eating a piece of toast in precise, calculated bites.

"Someone's been giving her sweets, and now she's not hungry," Percy said to Ginny as she took her own place at the table. He eyed George, who was sitting on the counter and grinning.

"I can't believe you'd blame something like that on me, Perce," he said, enjoying himself very much.

"I know it for a fact because Molly told me you'd offered them to her as well," Percy said, giving up the fight over the eggs. "But she's not a little devil, and wouldn't take them." He tickled Lucy's bare feet, and she went into hysterical giggles.

"Really a chip off the old block, aren't you Molly?" George asked. Molly, who was very shy and rarely said anything at all, blushed and focused on her toast.

"Don't tease her, George," Ginny said kindly. "Percy, you can all go up now if you'd like."

He rocketed out of his seat, nearly tipping his chair over as he shifted Lucy higher up in his arms. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at that, and he blushed the same shade as Molly, whose hand he reached out for.

"I'm a little bit smitten," he said in a small voice as he helped Molly down from her perch. "This may not be my first visit. Audrey didn't even want to come back, she said that they're busy enough and I should leave them alone."

"The girls should meet their cousin," Ginny said, and Percy, looking glad to be affirmed, left the kitchen.

"That girl's got quite a lot of Fred the Elder in her," George said with admiration as he waved to Lucy over her father's shoulder. "I just know she's going to give him the dickens later in life."

"You sound too pleased," Ginny admonished, although she delighted in it just the same. "Besides, she already giving him the dickens. But where are your own little devils?"

"Don't know," George said, and he didn't sound concerned in the least. "Charlie's taken them off somewhere in the garden, and he's promised to look after them all day so that Angelina and I can have a bit of time alone. Except Angelina's gone to get her hair done, and won't be ready until nearly lunch…so I suppose I'm forced to go have a nap on the couch, if Ronnie's finished with it."

"How unfortunate."

"The burdens we must bear," he said, and slid off the counter. "Don't tell Mum I was sitting there."

"Speaking of, where's Mum gone?"

"She and Dad have gone off shopping. Dad's nearly as in love with Rose as Percy, and he wanted to go get her some more toys."

"Oh yes, he does love spoiling the babies. Next thing he'll be giving her candy, like someone else I know."

Ginny made herself a cup of tea in the quiet kitchen, enjoying the peace and happiness that seemed to be flowing through the house. But the still didn't last too long; soon, through the window over the sink, she saw two small children crest the hill, followed by Charlie, who was holding two tiny broomsticks along with his own. Fred and Roxanne were holding hands as they tripped along; they were impossibly sweet children who were affectionate with everyone, and Ginny was looking forward to seeing them. But then, before they could reach the house, she heard the fire flare and George groan.

"I was almost asleep, too. You've got to be more considerate, mate."

"Sorry, but I heard something important was happening here." That was Harry's voice, and Ginny put her tea down to go meet him.

"Just another Weasley kid. Nothing special," George said, and as Ginny entered the living room he rolled over, pressing his face against the back of the sofa. "Get him out of here, Gin. No one respects my space."

"Come on then," she said, taking Harry's hand. "Let's leave Grandpa alone." She drew him back towards the kitchen, but he resisted, pulling against her and moving to the stairs.

"Can't we go see the baby?" he asked, almost pleading.

"No," she said, firm as she won out the battle and took him through the kitchen door. "Percy's up there and he's probably crying his eyes out, so we don't want to overwhelm them. Why don't you eat something? And you could change if you want, I'm sure there are plenty of spare robes about." He was still in his work clothes, having just finished a night of raids, and he was looking a little dusty and worse for the wear.

"Food first, I suppose. And then I'm going to go upstairs and toss Percy out. They're my best friends."

"Yes, I know," she said, soothing him in a false voice as she put together some food her mother had left warming in the oven.

His grumpy demeanor lessened as he worked his way through a hearty plate of breakfast, and he asked after the rest of the family.

"Mum and Dad are out buying up baby things, and Bill and Fleur just came for a bit yesterday, I gather. They probably didn't want to bring the whole gaggle and couldn't stay long. Charlie's playing with Fred and Roxanne in the garden. And Percy's brought the girls, as I said. He can't stay away apparently."

Harry took all this in as he mopped up egg yolks with his toast.

"And when are you going to tell all these Weasleys our news?"

"Honestly, you always say that as if I'm not a Weasley. And as if you aren't practically one yourself."

Harry smiled at that, still focusing on his plate.

"I know. I just kind of like the sound of it. But you're evading the question."

Ginny blushed and braced herself against the sink with her back to him. She heard his chair scrape back and then he was behind her, arms wrapped around her waist. That felt nice, and she smiled as he nuzzled against her neck.

"It's kind of nice to have it for just us," she whispered. "It's special."

"It is," he agreed. "Very special. But you won't be able to keep a secret much longer, love. And I think they'd like to know."

"They'd love to know," she said. "That's the problem. We'll have to answer a thousand questions and then we'll never have peace again."

"Oh, peace. It's overrated. I've never had much, and I'm not any worse for the wear."

"You're right, I know you are. We can tell them all at dinner."

"Only if you want to."

"I do."

Sunday dinner went on as usual at the Burrow, with two big tables end to end and food enough for a small army, which they were, in a way. Bill and Fleur made the journey with all three of their children in tow, Louis not much bigger than Rose. Angelina and George came back after an afternoon of shopping, looking relaxed and happy; George was sporting a shockingly bright new jacket, just the sort he preferred, and his children ran to him in delight. Audrey joined them too, apologizing to Ron for her husband's constant presence. At the head of the table, a cushy armchair was sat, and everyone cheered when Hermione came out of the house to sit in her throne. Rose was passed around once, treasured by all, and then laid in a Moses basket on the table, where every Weasley child for generations had once slept during these meals.

"I hope it won't be too loud for her," Hermione fretted, and Ron squeezed her hand.

"She'll have to get used to it, darling," he said, and they both laughed.

Ever since the war, they set an empty chair out next to George in remembrance of Fred, although as the years wore on an errant child usually ended up in it by the end of the night. That was what Fred would have wanted, they all agreed, envisioning him constantly taking one of his nieces or nephews on his lap if they got to be too much trouble for their parents. It was a nice idea, Ginny always thought, although in her mind she saw Fred as having a circus's worth of his own children, more than any of his siblings. Either way, Ginny like to sit on the other side of the empty chair, as she believed she could feel her brother's presence with them. Others avoided it at all costs, especially Percy, who never forgave himself for missing Fred's last years.

That night, Ginny ended up with Dominique on her lap, and she listened patiently as the little girl listed every French word she had learned since the week before. Bill and Fleur's children were developing rather strange accents, as they attended a small Muggle school but heard mostly French from their mother. They were also unusually well behaved, perhaps because of Bill's experience of being the oldest, and the leader, of all his siblings. In middle age he had become uniquely calm and steadfast, and his children would stop what they were doing instantly if he asked it of them.

"Dom," he said across the table to her, "let Aunt Ginny eat, and have something more than bread yourself." He was rubbing small circles on Fleur's back as she nursed Louis, and she looked up at him as one does to a hero. Dominique moved happily on to eating any cherry tomato she could put her hands on, and Bill winked at Ginny.

Dominique's weight and warmth in her lap were a comfort to Ginny, who was working up the courage to call the unruly family to order. Finally, after dinner but before dessert, there was a lull. She kissed Dominique on the top of her head and shifted her into Fred's empty chair, and then, with a meaningful look to Harry, took his hand to pull him up with her. His palm was a little bit sweaty, and she took heart knowing that he was nervous too. As they stood, everyone quieted, even Lucy, who had been babbling absolute nonsense at her grandfather the whole night.

"Well," Ginny began, and almost no sounds came out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Harry and I have something to tell you all."

Looking out at their faces, rapt with anticipation, she balked, and whispered to Harry.

"Tell them," she said, and put her face against his arm.

"Oh, well...everyone, Ginny and I…we're going to have a baby, too," Harry said, clearly unprepared to deliver the news himself, and then a great many things happened all at once.

Her mother jumped from her chair and ran to them, pulling them both into the tightest hug Ginny had ever experienced. She was already crying, and tears wetted Ginny's shirt. All of the older children began to cheer, and some of the adults clapped. George got up, lifted little Fred in the air, and swung him around, and farther down the table she could hear Percy moan "I don't know if I can take it again!" Harry was laughing and starting to go around and shake hands, and over her mother's shoulder she could see him bend down as her father clapped him on the back and whispered something in his ear. Harry grinned at whatever it was, and pulled Arthur up and into a full-on hug.

Ginny finally extricated herself from her mother's grip and made her way quickly down to where Hermione was seated, avoiding getting trapped by anyone else as she went, being particularly mindful of Percy. There would be time to talk to everyone, plenty of time, but at that moment getting to her friend was the most important thing of all.

"So they can be friends, right?" she asked, crouching down next to the chair and resting her chin on the arm. Hermione placed her hand on Ginny's head, and Ron came to the other side of her chair.

"We'll think about it," he said, and Hermione swatted at him.

"Of course they'll be friends. We'll make them. Oh, I'm so pleased."

"You don't feel like I've stolen your spotlight?" Ginny asked.

"I'm glad to be out of it, frankly. It's a lot of pressure, I'll go ahead and tell you that right now. And you being the baby sister, I'm sure it'll be even more."

"I think I can handle it."

"I think so too."

Ginny got up and looked down into Rose's basket. The baby was completely asleep, apparently unfazed by the commotion. Yes, she was going to do just fine growing up a Weasley.

Harry was shaking hands with Ron then, and Ginny met eyes with him even as her brothers began to encroach on them, asking as many questions as she had predicted. Looking at Harry, clearly beyond happy, she felt completely calm, and she knew he was right to have told them all at once like this. She wouldn't want it any other way.

"Come sit with me," Fleur called, pointing at the chair Bill had abandoned. "And we will make them all come to you one at a time, like you are the queen."

"She is the queen, for tonight," Angelina said. "Sorry, Hermione."

"She deserves it," Hermione said, and she was right.

After dessert, Arthur went into the house and emerged, after banging around in the kitchen for a bit, with an oversized bottle of port.

"I don't know what I've been saving this for," he said, waving his wand to send glasses all down the table. "A celebration, I suppose. And we've had lots of celebrations here, but I'm sure you'll all agree that tonight feels particularly special."

The bottle made its own way to each glass, magically pouring the perfect amount for each person who wanted some. The sun was setting and the garden was lit by twinkling lights suspended in air, and nearly everybody had a drowsy child on their lap. Fred and Roxanne were slumped almost identically with their foreheads on the table, and Victoire, looking proud to be the oldest, was sitting up very straight next to her father. Molly was awake too, stubbornly refusing to sleep until everything had finished, but Lucy had finally worn herself out and was sleeping most soundly of any of them in her father's arms.

Hermione had taken Rose up in her arms at the end of the meal, and Ron was sitting on the arm of her chair, unable to look anywhere but down. He accepted a glass but immediately forgot about it, and Angelina had to reach over at one point to right it before he spilled the wine out on the ground. Meanwhile, although Fleur had insisted that she didn't need to, Ginny had taken Dominique back onto her lap, and was beginning to daydream about how it might feel when her own child was four and sleepy, with their face pressed hard against her chest. Harry would glance at them occasionally, always looking away as if he had been scalded, heart beating fast. He was imagining the same thing as Ginny, and the delight was almost too much to bear.

Arthur stood once everyone had been served, and what little conversation that was left ended. He cleared his throat, and Ginny could see he already had tears in his eyes.

"Tonight," he began, and his voice carried easily throughout the garden, "I am the luckiest man in the world. A great many years ago, more than I think either of us care to admit, I met a girl at school who, quite simply, enchanted me. She was smart and beautiful and popular, but more important than anything, she was strong. And she agreed to marry me, which I hope she would say was the right decision. I didn't have a lot of money then, and she never faulted me for it, even when it got to be 10 and 20 years later and we still didn't have much money, even though we had more children than anyone thought was sensible." Everyone laughed, except for Molly, who had started weeping quietly the minute her husband stood up.

"There was war for the greater part of our marriage, and for the greater part of most of your lives," he went on, and Bill and Charlie in particular looked very stoic. "And you never had very much, not compared to your peers. I always wanted to be able to get you the best brooms and new robes and all those things you kindly never asked for, but I couldn't. However, I like to think that we had quite a lot of love, and always enough food, and a wonderful warm home to live in. And looking around, I can see that we did, because you've all brought smart, beautiful, popular, strong people back to this house, and you all love them to the moon and back, so something must have gone right. And now I, just a foolish man who got in over his head a long time ago, have more grandchildren than I can count and more love spilling out of every crack of this house than I deserve."

He paused a minute to wipe his eyes, and most everyone else did too.

"All of this is to say that I'm glad we are here tonight, and that someone new has joined us, and that someone else will come along soon. So cheers to Hermione and Ron and Rose, and to Ginny and Harry, and to the Weasleys."

The sound of glasses touching echoed in the night, and everyone kissed and hugged one another for a long while, causing some of the children to stir and rub their eyes. Then Harry stood, and everyone went still again, all enraptured by the spirit of the night.

"That was amazing, Arthur," he said, and raised his glass. "And I'd like to add on, if you don't mind." Arthur waved his free hand, the other being held onto very tightly by his wife. Harry cleared his throat and put a hand on Ginny's shoulder, and she smiled under the weight.

"I don't need to tell any of you that I grew up without any real family, and that I used to dream of someone coming to take me away, and telling me I was special. Just when I resigned myself to that never happening, a great big man roughly the size and shape of a boulder came to tell me I was more special than I ever wanted to be." Everyone laughed again, and Ginny tilted her head to rest atop Dominique's curls.

"So I headed off to wizard school exactly as lonely as ever and not quite believing it was true, and quite by chance, or maybe not, I ran into 6 very good people on the platform. One who became more of a mother to me than anyone ever would, one who became my best friend, two who could always make me laugh and who also helped me out of a number of binds, and of course, the little, wailing girl who is now my wife. And Percy." Laughs again, even from Percy himself. Harry squeezed Ginny's shoulder, and she knew there were things he would say to her if not for the audience.

"And now all this time later, I still wake up some mornings and think it's been a fantastic, horrifying dream, and that my Aunt Petunia will be banging on my cupboard door any moment. But then I open my eyes and I see Ginny, and I remember that I have a crazy, messy, loud family full of people who can do anything. Some of them were even willing to die for me, for all of us." George had to turn and be held by Angelina at that point, finally softening as everyone else had, and all the others were thinking of those who had once been like family to them.

"In short, when I was 11 I never dreamed I would be sitting somewhere listening to a speech like the one Arthur just gave. Not me, not Harry. But I am, and I know that those members of my family who aren't here tonight are looking upon us in this garden and thanking their lucky stars that I made it here to be with you. I know that for them, it's everything they could have wanted for me."

Harry got choked up at that point, trying and failing to push it down. Eventually he fell back into his chair next to Ginny without finishing, and she leaned over and kissed him, hoping he could feel what she couldn't say aloud either. Then Ron stood, and raised his glass.

"I'll toast to that," he said simply, and everyone else murmured in agreement, and raised their glasses high.

Oh yikes, I'm crying. I hope you all liked that; it started as a scene in my other fic Traitorous Blood, but then it was getting way too long because of how much I loved seeing the Weasleys all together, so I changed some of the ideas and made it into this. I especially loved writing Percy. Even if his characterization wasn't completely canon, I just love him a lot and the scene where he apologizes in Deathly Hallows makes me cry every time!

One more editorial note: I didn't write in Fleur's accent because honestly I did not feel like I was going to do it correctly, so I hope that didn't take you out of the story.

Love you guys, please review if you liked it! Xoxo