At the Potters'
A series of one-shots looking at Harry and Ginny's life as a couple and as parents.
Grindylow – December 15, 2004
"This is absolutely vile!" Ginny called from the couch, her eyes glued to a powder blue book spread across her lap. "I can't believe you're making me read this!"
A few moments passed without and response and Ginny continued to read the pages lying on her lap, her eyes widening with every new detail she glazed over. Soon, Harry walked in with the tea platter. He set it on top of the coffee table beside the couch and sat down next to Ginny, who looked at him in disbelief.
"Did you even look through this? It's practically designed to terrify any woman from ever getting pregnant!"
He cocked his head to the side and patted his wife's stomach. "I'd say it's too late for that."
Ginny slapped his arm away. "Just listen to this – '…and of the bodily changes the mother must endure during the next nine months (that is to say, if her pregnancy isn't miserably overdue), none are as undesirable as the ability of her swollen feet to grow up an entire shoe size.' Merlin's pants! Not only will I be spilling out of my jumper, but I won't be able to wear my shoes either?"
"That's hardly an issue," Harry said calmly, pouring tea into the two cups on the silver platter. "It would only really be a problem if you ended up gaining an enormous amount of weight."
She set the book down miserably. "Given that I've already spent the past several nights sneaking into the kitchen to feast on the scraps we've got in our fridge, I'd safely bet on having to shop for Grawp-sized sandals." Then she narrowed her eyes at her husband, who was innocently arranging their afternoon tea. "Wait a minute…so you did read this, didn't you! You knew what you were giving me! 'Light reading material' my bum!"
Harry shrugged. "Your mum made me give it to you. She figured it was the least you could do if you weren't going to listen to her advice."
Ginny folded her arms and harrumphed, "Yeah, well, she's pushed so many children out in her lifetime, I highly doubt she would be able to remember what her first pregnancy was like. Besides, mothers never pass their wisdom onto the new generation of mothers. They hoard it and hang the knowledge over our heads, reveling in the fact that it's our turn to deal with widening hips, stretch marks, and aching backs. They always conveniently forget to tell you everything you need to know until the last possible minute. 'Oh, you didn't know you couldn't feed your child a T-bone steak? Silly me…'"
"You're just being stubborn," Harry said gently, handing her a cup of tea. But she shook her head furiously.
"You honestly expect me to drink that with the thought of my engorged tots lingering in my mind?" She sounded personally offended.
"That's not such a bad image to have in your head," Harry replied naughtily, and Ginny playfully punched him in the arm.
"You prat," she said. Then, a bit more seriously, "I think pregnancy has made me a little on edge, wouldn't you say?"
"There's an understatement," Harry said smartly, sipping from his cup. He set it down and leaned back on the couch. He stretched his arm out and invited Ginny towards him, who rested her head in the crook of his armpit. "There's really no need to worry, Gin. You don't have to read that book if you don't want to. After all, if you won't listen to your mum, you've got Fleur and Angelina to turn to, as well."
"But what if something goes horribly wrong?" she whispered. And Harry could tell that Ginny was speaking very seriously now. This was the first time that she had voiced any sort of legitimate concern since they discovered they were expecting their first child nearly two months ago. "I haven't gotten to the part of the book that lists all the things that could go wrong with the baby, but I'm terrified."
He held her close to him and said as reassuringly as he could, "Gin, nothing is going to go horribly wrong. We're both responsible people and as long as we take the necessary precautions – and not adhere to every detail in this silly book – nothing can go wrong."
"You don't know what goes on in – " She gestured at her womb. " – there. For all we know, my biological functions are completely wonky and in seven month's time, I'll give birth to a grindylow."
Harry laughed, the image of the water creature surfacing to the foreground of his mind; it certainly would make matters difficult when putting their tentacled child into its pram. "If you end up giving birth to a grindylow…well, I suppose I'll just love it all the more, then. We can't disown our child just because it inherited its mother's looks, can we?"
As Harry continued to laugh, Ginny punched him lightly in the arm. He feigned pain, but Ginny just smiled; he always had a way of assuaging her fears, and this case was no different.
"You're an arse, Harry Potter, and I can't believe I'm having this baby with you."
Yet as unbelievable as it all was, Ginny couldn't help but feel incredibly thankful.
AN: So, here's a chapter where it's just Harry and Ginny for once! Tell me what you guys think, please! Remember to leave feedback or suggestions if you can :D