Author's Note: I cannot believe I haven't updated in almost a month! We've been away and there's been a bit of a crisis where I'm at, but it's no excuse. However, I've been writing on with this chapter and it's finally done – my longest one yet to make up for the wait. Thanks to anthony37, Xterker23, AccioSeeker7825, Pink Mockingjay in Hufflepuff, nicsav, GetMoMoney-333, ActingPickle09, TheUnforgiven135, DaddysPrincess-Girl, Rori Potter, Loves to read books, cdblange, and Guest for reviewing the last chapter – 13 reviews made my day! Also, thanks to everyone who added the story to their favorites and alerts. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!
Previously:
They both sat back down and looked over to the corner, where Healer Bones was almost finished developing the pictures. Ginny leaned into Harry, and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
"I can't wait to see our baby," Harry whispered to his wife. "I love him or her so much already." Healer Bones began to walk towards them with the pictures.
"Now, they're still drying so-" Suddenly, she looked down at the pictures, and gasped. "Well, isn't this a surprise!"
"What?" Ginny asked, looking a little bit nervous. "What's going on?"
"Well," Healer Bones said, glancing down at the picture with a sly smile on her face "It seems we have our first ever set of wizarding quintuplets!" Harry and Ginny looked at each other in shock.
"Q-q-quintuplets?" Harry asked, a dazed look on his face. He looked over to Ginny and saw his own expression mirrored in her eyes.
"I feel faint," Ginny whispered, leaning back in her chair. "I feel faint! This can't be happening."
"How…how can we be having five babies? Is this a joke?" Harry asked, looking to Healer Bones for confirmation. It was then that he noticed the sheer mirth in her face, and saw her silent laughter. "Oh thank Merlin, it is a joke! Bollocks, you scared us so much! Bloody hell, I've never been so shocked in my life!"
"I'm s-s-so s-s-s-sorry," Healer Bones said, beginning to laugh hysterically. "I'm s-s-s-sorry! But Merlin, you should have seen the looks on your faces! I have n-n-never seen anyone so terrified in all my years as a maternity healer!"
"It was all a joke? You were playing a joke on us?" Ginny asked furiously, standing up and attempting to walk toward Healer Bones as Harry grabbed her robes and pulled her back down to her seat. "How could you do that? You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"I'm so sorry, Ginny," Healer Bones said, trying to compose herself. "I was just trying to loosen you up so you wouldn't be quite so shocked at the real surprise."
"And what might that be?" Ginny asked, sitting down in a huff, still annoyed by the prank.
"Well, in about seven months you two will be the proud parents of twins!" Healer Bones exclaimed, holding up the picture and waving it around.
"Twins?" Harry asked, still looking shocked. "Two babies at the same time? We're having twins?"
"Yes, Harry, Ginny is pregnant with twins," the Healer said, laughing again at the expression on his face.
"I can't believe it," Ginny whispered, looking amazed. Harry looked over at her with concern as she sunk back into her chair, placing both hands on her belly. "So that's why I'm showing already!"
"Are you upset?" Harry asked Ginny nervously. "I mean, I know you were a little apprehensive before…"
"No, I'm not at all upset!" Ginny exclaimed. "This just puts all my fears to rest! Of course, twins will be hard to deal with and a lot of work – especially if they're anything like Fred and George – but they'll have each other as playmates growing up. They won't be alone!"
"So you're not upset? Not at all?" Harry asked, surprised but excited at his wife's change of heart.
"No, Harry, I'm not upset," Ginny laughed. "But I am ready to see our babies." She looked expectantly at Healer Bones, who had been hanging off to the side during their conversation. She handed the picture to Harry, who leaned in close to his wife to share it.
"So, these are your babies," the Healer said, pointing them out in the picture. "Here's Baby A – there's the head and the feet – and here's Baby B – see, the head is right up here, and the feet are here." Harry and Ginny stared at the picture, the sheer joy evident on their faces.
"Those are our babies," Ginny whispered, reaching out one finger to touch the little forms moving about in the picture. "We're going to have new babies." Harry pulled her in for another gentle kiss, admiring her radiant smile and how she already seemed to glow.
"I know. We're going to have new babies. I love you, Gin. And the kids too. I love our family so much," Harry said. "And now it's really going to be complete." Both of them began to get choked up as they continued to take in the picture, thinking about the new little people who would soon be coming into the world.
"Thank you, Healer Bones," Harry said, at last looking up from the picture of his children. "Now, do we need to get to anything else today?"
"Well, yes, we just need to confirm how far along Ginny is and what the babies' due date would be – by the picture I would estimate that Ginny is around nine weeks. Now, we just need to figure out the due date…" Healer Bones stooped down and waved her wand around Ginny's midsection once again, muttering an incantation under her breath. The numbers "1/5/2020" began to flash purple in front of Ginny's middle. "Okay, so the babies' due date is May 1st of next year! Congratulations!"
"Looks like these ones are birthday babies," Harry whispered to his wife. Ginny laughed, remembering the night of her husband's 39th birthday and the fun they had had.
"Harry!" she whisper-shouted in mock indignation, slapping his shoulder lightly. "The Healer doesn't need to know about our personal life!"
"Sorry dear," Harry said, smiling at her. "But I guess we just need to be more careful on holidays!"
"All right, now we have a couple more things to get to, just some papers and such," Healer Bones began, breaking up their little conversation with a brisk clap.
"Well, I suppose we should get started then," Ginny said gamely as Healer Bones handed her a huge roll of parchment and a quill. "But I think this should be your job, Harry." He laughed as she handed him the parchment, and he began to scribble answers as Healer Bones fired off medical inquiries and began lecturing about what to expect from a twins pregnancy. Ginny sat back in her chair, half-listening but mostly dreaming about their babies. How can our lives change so much in just one short week? I still can't believe it. But whatever happens, I'm excited. And I can't wait to meet you, my beautiful babies, she thought to herself, placing a hand on her middle and smiling down at her children.
*3 Weeks Later*
"Harry!" Ginny shrieked from their bedroom. "Harry! Where are you?" Her husband came running in not five seconds later, glasses askew and out of breath, with his wand held menacingly in front of him.
"What is it? Are you hurt? Who did it? Where are they? What should I –" Harry trailed off suddenly, noticing that everything looked fine save for the heartbroken look on his wife's face. "What is it, Gin? I don't see anything. Are you alright?"
"No, Harry, I'm not alright! I can't…I can't button my trousers!" Ginny wailed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling off the offending pants, looking at them with deepest hatred. "And they're my favorite trousers! Bloody hell, I'm getting so FAT!"
"Ginny, darling, you're not fat," Harry said, stifling his laughter as he went to sit by his wife. "You're having twins!"
"Of course I am, you prat," Ginny said as she pushed Harry away. "And it's your bloody fault I'm getting fat! Look at my stomach! Everyone probably knows I'm pregnant already!"
"Ginny, I'm sure no one knows. Besides, it's nothing to get so worked up about. You can just go and buy some new trousers. I mean, you knew this would happen eventually!" Harry said, trying to calm down his hormonal wife and failing miserably. Ginny was deadly quiet for a moment, as Harry realized his mistake and tried to backpedal. But just seconds later, she exploded, face coloring as she began to scream.
"You are unbelievable! You think I can 'just go out and buy some new trousers' and that's going to fix the whole problem? How can you not understand what I'm going through? I am pregnant with twins! In seven bloody months, I am going to have to push two babies out of me. Two! Two human beings are going to push their way through my body at the same time. Can you get that through your thick head, Harry? And I'm going to get hugely fat. I'm going to have babies kicking me in the ribs 24/7. I'm never going to sleep comfortably again! And I'm barely 3 months pregnant and my trousers don't even fit me anymore! Are you so insensitive that you can't even sympathize with me when you can see that I'm upset?" Ginny spat, getting up from the bed and stalking away from her husband. As a parting note, she added, "Merlin, sometimes I wish I could just hex you!" And with that, she left the room, stomping down the stairs and leaving Harry to wonder about what had just happened.
"Oh, hormones. Merlin, how I hate you," Harry muttered as he rose from the bed to go apologize to his wife. He found her down in the kitchen, standing at the counter and menacingly biting a sweet. "Ginny," he began carefully. "I'm sorry I didn't sympathize with you. I understand what you're going through now."
"Oh, shove off, you prat. We both know you're just saying that. But it's okay, I forgive you anyways!" Ginny said, striding across the kitchen and pulling Harry in for a hug. "Now, get ready, we have to be at Mum and Dad's in an hour!" With that, she skipped out of the kitchen, singing under her breath. These mood swings are going to drive me batty, Harry thought as he dutifully followed his wife upstairs.
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One hour and a slight wardrobe malfunction later, Harry and Ginny were ready to leave, with Ginny decked out in a long skirt and flowy top designed to hide her small bump. They arrived in the Burrow fireplace right on time, as the rest of the family began trickling in for the party. Mrs. Weasley, ever the gracious host, stood in the center of the living room to welcome the travelers. "Harry! Ginny!" she cried as she spotted them, bustling over to hug each in turn. "It's so good to see you, dears. And I'm so excited for tonight," she added under her breath, smiling conspiratorially.
"Now Mum," Ginny said in a reproving tone. "You have to remember to keep quiet until Harry and I make the announcement. You can't steal our surprise again, even though you're excited!"
"Don't worry about a thing, darling. I'll keep it all under wraps. And I'll make sure your father does too," Molly said with a wave of her hand. "Now, go into the kitchen and have some crisps or something. You're too thin, both of you!" Harry and Ginny obliged, greeting family members on their way. They spent two happy hours mingling with their brothers and sisters (and in-laws), and having long-overdue chats. Ginny managed to stuff her face full of every appetizer possible, trumping Ron at an eating contest and putting together such nauseating concoctions as miniature meat pies with crisps and clam dip. Some of the more cunning females began to suspect that there was an ulterior motive for the family dinner party. Finally, at six o'clock, Molly rang the dinner bell and the whole clan gathered in the dining room to enjoy the meal. The table was spread with a tantalizing array of dishes, from steaks to puddings. Ron was the first to fill his plate, exclaiming happily, "Oh, how I've missed your cooking, Mum!" and earning a slap from Hermione. Dinner was a jovial affair as everyone ate more than their fair share of Mrs. Weasley's wonderful food.
"This is all so delicious!" Ginny exclaimed to Harry, filling her plate for the third time.
"Gin, how can you still be hungry after all those appetizers?" Harry exclaimed wondrously. "I think you've eaten more than Ron and I put together!"
"Don't forget, I'm eating for three now," Ginny whispered in his ear. He laughed and clasped her hand under the table.
"Ginny, don't you miss the kids? They've barely been at Hogwarts for two months and I'm dying to see Rose and Hugo already," said Hermione from Ginny's other side, pulling her attention away from Harry and the food. "I'm too young to be an empty nester already! Sometimes I just think we should have another baby. Then we would be even with you and Harry!" Ginny choked on her food, a look of shock on her face. Harry slapped her on the back, looking worried. "What's wrong, Ginny? I just meant that we would have three kids as well!" Hermione added, surprised at the Potters' reactions.
"Oh, nothing, Hermione. I just can't see you having another baby, that's all. You've just gotten your house neat again – you've said it yourself!" Ginny said, laughing slightly and thanking Merlin that the surprise was safe.
"That is true!" Hermione said with a giggle. "Although with Ron around, I don't think it's going to stay that way for long!" Ginny laughed with her, looking fondly at her older brother. As the family finished eating, Molly and Angelina began to clear the table and bring in dessert. As Ron started to reach for one of the cakes, Harry tapped his spoon gently against the side of his glass. Grabbing Ginny's hand, the two stood up as their family looked at them in surprise.
"Before we begin with dessert, Ginny and I have an announcement to make," Harry began. But before he could finish, Molly jumped to her feet and shouted wildly, "THEY'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!" The whole table erupted into hysterics, with Hermione shouting "I knew it! I knew it!", Ron yelling at Harry about "knocking up my baby sister again", and the whole family congratulating the couple. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry. "Well, I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks," she said as Molly looked at them sheepishly and sat back down.
"But they don't know the real surprise yet," Harry said. "Should we tell them now?"
"Well, then we would at least have one announcement to ourselves," Ginny said. She banged on the side of her glass forcefully. When that didn't work, she shouted, "Oi! Family! Pregnant lady trying to make an announcement here!" They all stopped chattering and looked up to where Harry and Ginny were still standing. "As Harry was going to say before he was interrupted by someone," Ginny began with a pointed look at her mother, "I am pregnant. But that's not all. Come May 1st, we are going to be the proud parents of twins!" At that shocker, Molly burst into tears and rushed around the table to hug Harry and Ginny. Everyone began to congratulate them anew, as all the women began to hug Ginny as well and the men shook Harry's hands, with cries of "Congrats, mate!". Ginny just looked around at her beautiful family and smiled, placing both hands on her tummy. Welcome to the family, babies, she thought. You are already so loved.
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review – you can give me feedback, offer baby name suggestions, or ideas for what you want to see in the story. I may use what you suggest! Also, if I'm getting anything wrong about pregnancy, don't hesitate to tell me. Most of it comes from research and not firsthand. And don't forget, you can still vote in the poll on my profile page for the genders! Hope to update again within a week – I never seem to stick to these deadlines but I'll give it a shot! Thanks again for reading! –Lily